_Ben_

Yeah, he was just getting some game time for us and has clearly done well enough to get the move to Zenit. I think that I left overall, I got a lot of the recruitment right, in particular, this man: Click the above to see his profile but just look at that value and description! In terms of my recruitment, I think it's the one that stands out so much in terms of the ideology that I have. My scouts found him in 2034/35 but I purposely put off signing him, despite the potential, as his stats were really poor - just four goal contributions in 25 appearances. However, waiting it out into the next season meant that I was able to sign one of the best performers in South America at the time. He's obviously then just flourished and is now one of the top players in world football and I envisage that he'll demonstrate that at Spurs.

Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it that other people enjoy to read what often turns into ramblings and tangents from me.

Thanks both! Yeah - the dribbling is a vague one but, just from one friendly, I have seen what he can offer going forward. His traits do it for me: Great Dribbling, Pace, Agility and Technique and a player who will Try Tricks is just wonderful to watch. Obviously, the IF(s) role contradicts the Runs With Ball Down Left so I'll watch as to whether that trait gets removed or, in the worse case scenario, we slightly adapt to how he play: maybe using a Mez(a) to overload slightly wider on that side whilst he's out wider than a normal IF(s) would be. The plan will, hopefully, be to move Groningen to one of those sides too. I have no idea the longer term plans and the time I'll have on this save before FM23 but establishing the club to have a sought after academy, much like where Krasnodar is at now, is definitely an aim of mine. Thanks. To me, it just feels realistic and, as you've read over the past 27-pages, that's how I like to play this game these days. There are two rounds and, if we lose in either, we enter the Europa League groups - which is, probably, where we belong at this stage. The draw has just been made though and I couldn't be happier... Locking horns against against my old nemesis! Obviously, we won't travel to Russia for the away leg - we played in Poland most of the time when facing central European opposition with Krasnodar - and I feel that it's just right to have my first European night against a team from a country where this career started and against a team that provided me - for a couple of years at least - a great challenge. I'll be facing two of my old players - Magomedov and Sakheishvili and I'm under no illusions over how hard it's going to be.

(Mid) July 2038 Another one through the door and another one who is a real 'statistical' purchase. Garvey Juliaans, inside the last year of his deal, comes in for €60k from Feyenoord, who have now two players that have come directly from their academy and a third, in Thijssen, who was developed there. Area of recruitment: Centre Back - Rotational option good enough for a couple of years until Quaye is ready for first team football.✔ The deal slightly changes my squad building strategy here, with him being considerably younger than I'd intended him to be. With the signing of Pihl - originally for the longer term option - I now must consider who, if anyone, remains longer term, putting pressure on Bruneck to develop well again whilst out on loan. The deal maker here was his performances on loan at second tier Almere City, who won the Eerste Divisie. However - this is a first and a slightly trickier one here so I'm glad I've dived in and made the move. Garvey didn't play as a centre back, instead a full back but has shown that he's fantastic in possession - inside the top 20% for assists, chances created and key passes when compared with any defensive player in the second tier. However, his attributes, to me, give me the encouragement that I can Kyle Walker him and convert him to a centre back. His height is a worry but his Jumping Reach puts him above Pihl, who is two inches taller. I don't know if he'll necessarily be the first choice on the team sheet, particularly against more physical teams who play down the flanks, and he'd probably be more suited in a back three, but I want to see whether I can utilise statistics that aren't directly correlated to what I want. It's a low cost experiment, basically. Works? There'll be a choice between the regression in then-33 year old Pihl and progression in Bruneck, who's close to joining either NAC or FC Emmen in the second tier. Doesn't work? There's less pressure on either of the two aforementioned players and I've lost €60k and the cost of his wages for however long he stays. There is a clear requirement building for my centre backs and I worry that Bruneck, five years older than Quaye but arguably no better than him, might not be a great fit for it. I no longer use BPD(d) as I don't want them to be ball magnets, instead using regular CB(d) who are, hopefully, pretty decent with the ball at their feet - at minimum, composed with it. I'm looking to increase the Pace and Acceleration that we have at the back allowing us to recover faster as our style does make us rather option to counters through the middle and over the top, too. --- I also decided to expand the scouting network with the acquisition of some 'old boys.' I was unaware that Hlynsson had retired and pleasantly surprised by how good they actually are in their roles - considering that most ex-players normally start out pretty low quality.

Of course! The only stone I'd left unturned in this deal was to actually get to a live match and watch him but, with pre-season nearing, I'm sure I'll get a good glimpse.

(Early) July 2038 A record signing and record departure on the same day... (Images are clickable to show player profiles) As I have said a few times across the course of the season - Gregory Sharpe was essentially a round peg that I wanted to fit into a square hole. He won't be the scapegoat here as it was my choice to sign a pacey striker and try and convert him to a number of - not necessarily finisher friendly - roles across the season but, to be honest and frank, he was the weakest member of the first team last season. Now, at 18 and coming in from the not-so-highly thought after Jamaican league without speaking a word of Dutch, I could have foreseen a slow start and steady growth as time goes on. However, that time won't come as Pumas complete on a deal making him the most expensive Liga MX transfer ever, by some margin, too. Now, why have they paid that much money for a player with little career history? Probably because Gregory is an already an established international with a great track record and a player who has shown that he has the potential to play at the highest level. His seven goal contributions last season put him level with Cespedes and ahead of Neira, which is no mean feat considering that he'd played quite a lot less minutes. The €16.5m upfront also gave me an opportunity to dive into the market as - like I've alluded to previously - it was the first time we actually had any money free from a sellable asset that wouldn't hugely diminish the quality of the first team. You have to feel a bit for Excelsior and Ramón Costa, but I've got my man! At 50% of the Sharpe sale and a straight, up-front offer that met his clause, I (by 'I', I mean my DoF, Tyrick Volkers) has picked up another signing and this one could that marquee, inspirational signing that my recruitment so far has probably missed. Before I discuss any of his attributes and how I want him to play and develop, I need to share the statistical analysis that made this signing an absolute no-brainer. Clicking the above thumbnails below takes you to the breakdown of Thijssen's stats compared against other Eredivisie wingers and then compared against other wingers from the Top 7 (England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Russia) leagues: Essentially, and regardless of any of his attributes, what you have got here is simply the best ball carrier in Europe - better than every single elite player and Ballon D'Or contender. Little old Excelsior (who, famously, produced Iljas Zherabyatjev for me too) have got the best best dribbler in all of Europe in a move which, slightly hyperbolic maybe, reminds me of my beloved Villa in the last season we were graced with the presence of Mr Grealish. Now, what FM is missing is that take-ons, because I don't actually know whether a dribble is just a period of time where he moves (and not necessarily progressively) with the ball at his feet or where he actually moves past a player with the ball at his feet: never the less, he's doing this, on average, five times a game. Our style is purpose built for this and ter Burg and Cespedes are only averaging around three per game. Utter madness. But, more than that, he actually looks a very good player and will fit in well: He can play in the midfield strata so is immediately first choice against the big teams and when I need to be a little more compact. He's incredibly physical, Agile and well Balanced, and, pairing that with great Technique and his slight frame, it's no wonder he's so good with the ball. Earning more fouls than any other winger across the big European leagues, he brings another Grealish similarity, too. At 22, he's young and only has one season of first team football under his belt after moving from Feyenoord, where he shared reserve team minutes with Jay ter Burg, so I appreciate the risk but can balance it out with what will hopefully be a chance to recoup, if not increase his sell on value should his form be just a flash in the pan. --- It's been a busy time for me as I was able to renew some contracts for the key players within my squad: Whilst these are all a rise in wages, the increase in wage bill will be offset by the near €40k p/w saved when four players left on the 1st. I also unveiled Benjamin Kokora as a Groningen player following his move from Chaves. I won't detail his stats again as I've already done that when I was in the process of signing him but I look forward to watching him battle it out with my other full backs. I'm still in the market for a goalkeeper and another centre back although I'm not hugely concerned if I fail to recruit for these slots as my team is settled developing, which certainly can't be said for ex-club Krasnodar, who have been severely depleted of players I'd brought through and in.

Yeah, absolutely. The money wasn't really there at the point of making these signings simply based on the fact that we didn't have a progressive, young squad that held it's value. I managed to scrape funds together and the €19m for Sebwe last summer bankrolled the season, covering debts and wage bills. However, now the majority of the players within the club are my signings, I think that the focus continues to shift towards playing who will either hold their value or increase in value. A little spoiler but that is exactly what Gregory Sharpe has done.

We’ve said it a few times - whilst our playing styles are different, the building blocks for them share some commonalities; this being key in my style too. Looking forward to your tactical thoughts!

I agree, actually! That’s what makes this experience all the more fun. I had doubts over Couto - with similar stats - last summer and he proved me wrong so I’m hoping this might happen again.

Does this data from the Eredivisie give you any more excitement? I don't think the Sharpe experiment quite worked but I didn't expect this when I offered him out...

June 2038 Firstly, some outgoings: Thijs Pander extends his loan at NAC (how weird that it says he trains with us still - never seen this before?) and Koji Kawanami joins PEC Zwolle, another title chaser in the second tier. Both of these are year long loans with a view to them returning to the first team. A loan may be explored for Alfred Asante but, like Bouma last summer, he has the pre-season to impress me and earn his place in the first team. --- Next, the incomings so far... (Full profile on click of thumbnail and link to my statistical analysis in Excel on the logo next to it) Area of recruitment: Central Midfielder - Older, shorter term option so that Pander can spend another year out on loan. ✔ As soon as I was made aware of an old release clause to clubs in continental competitions - of just €1.7m - I knew that Dariusz was the man. I kept the priority list there but only started the deal for him, leaving the others on hold, almost forcing me to re-negotiate if I had any issues initially. However, a deal was quickly negotiated with squad status and wages inside the parameters I set and I think that I've really got a great player here. After spending much of his early career in the second team at Mainz, a €450k move brought him to the Eredivisie and Twente where he went on to score twenty-seven times and assist twenty further goals in 121 league games. He was part of their squad that was relegated in the summer of 2037 but was never sold. In the Eerste Division, he's excelled: eighteen goal involvements and inside the top 10% in the division for dribbles per/90, xG per 90, shots on target/90 and goals/90 across all midfielders. Those kind of numbers would be synonymous with somehow who plays as a #10 or a winger but, no, Dariusz has mainly played as a central midfielder for Twente and his possession stats show strength there, too. What I like most is that he brings a bit of variety to my midfield. Initially thought of as more of a carrier, he's actually the best passer, by numbers, too. I'm really excited to have him on board and think that he'll really surprise people with his performances this year. --- Area of recruitment: Centre Back - Rotational option good enough for a couple of years until Quaye is ready for first team football. ✔ Again, a deal was negotiated by Tyrick Volkers, with us paying Twente €1.6m for the services of Pihl. I wanted to move early, knowing that I want two defenders and, realistically, he could fit in as either the rotational option or someone who does take more of a backup role. The fee was a little steeper than I wanted at this point, considering that I've yet to receive any European prize money but I've got myself a solid option in defence who has enough Natural Fitness to keep going for a while longer. Looking at his statistics from last year, he's proved a good option from corners too - and that's obviously an area of marginal gains that I want to focus on. He's a little uninspiring, I get that, but is a pretty solid player who'll hopefully serve us well. --- Area of recruitment: Left Back - ideally a backup for Schuur and an older player as Timmermans is promising in the U18 squad. ✔ A deal was quickly thrashed out thanks to Tyrick once more and I must say that, compared to Couto and Schuur, he's not a million miles off. For a player at a club that has been relegated from the top flight, I must say that his statistical output is phenomenal: top 10% of all full backs for dribbling, which is on a par with my own and then a great cross success rate, which is odd considering that's something he doesn't naturally excel at. I'm hoping that there is a blurred line between a cross and a cross-field ball - which we certainly utilise from our full backs. Not very strong in the air either but, otherwise, has good defensive stats. For the price, this was a no-brainer for me. He, although slightly lower in quality, has a good skillset that matches with my other full backs and I think he'll do well given the chances. --- I fully appreciate that these aren't exactly marquee signings and are probably quite uninspiring signings for a new-to-Champions League side but until we've had a year of money and until we've experienced these games, ramping up our reputation, we really are quite short on options. What is more, this save has been built around statistical analysis and the overperformance of undervalued players (without calling it moneyball!) and I really think that these three, Szkudlarek especially, are proponents of that style of recruiting and will come good for us. From the pessimist side - what if we fail in Europe? Well, we've replaced four players who have barely featured for us with three (plus Kokora to come) who are, statistically better and, attribute wise, probably on a level playing field. Therefore, a finish of anywhere between 2nd to 4th, given how we've spent and awaiting much more excessive spending from the other sides, would be a perfect show of steady, well planned growth. I'll review any further signings and the pre-season as time goes on.

I'm calling it a day for today at here: I'm not sure if I want two analysers, much smaller in size or whether that one does what I want it to. If I stick with one, I need to re-order them, definitely. I also need to get the info on feet, height and weight back into that Player Infor box on the left as well as work on the goalkeeper one. Then, and only then, if I'm happy with it - I'll remove the access to attributes elsewhere in the game. Again, love to hear thoughts on this... EDIT: Here it is with 2 octagons, but just need to work out how to resize the actual analyser...

Thanks both! I'm just trying to get three empty containers in at the moment to populate later on but having such a hard time getting even the most basic thing right with this at the moment!

First issue.. I can't seem to separate two containers within a container. I'm pretty good as moving code around but actually re-writing things is not my forte. Should they be widgets or should I be doing something different? Here is what I've created thus far: <panel> <layout class="stick_to_sides_attachment" alignment="all" inset="0" apply_to_children="true"/> <container class="horizontal_adaptive_container" offset="0" inset="0" gap="0" mode="distribute_equally"> <container minimum_width="300" priority="1" default_width="-1"> <layout class="stick_to_sides_attachment" alignment="all" apply_to_children="true" inset="0" /> <!-- Outfield player --> <container class="person_happiness_panel" id="phap" file="player/Tabbed/polygons/attribute analyser" minimum_width="170" priority="2" default_width="170"> <record id="object_property" get_property="Pigo" set_property="hidn"/> </container> <widget class="picture" file="dividers/standard/vertical/line" width="1" /> <container class="person_happiness_panel" id="dnap" file="player/Tabbed/polygons/player attribute analyser panel dna" minimum_width="170" priority="3" default_width="170"> <record id="object_property" get_property="Pigo" set_property="hidn"/> </container> <widget class="picture" file="dividers/standard/vertical/line" width="1" /> <!-- Goalkeeper --> <container class="person_happiness_panel" file="player/Tabbed/polygons/attribute analyser" id="gkap" minimum_width="170" priority="2" default_width="170"> <record id="object_property" get_property="Pigo" set_property="Shwn"/> </container> <container class="person_happiness_panel" id="dnap" file="player/Tabbed/polygons/player attribute analyser panel dna" minimum_width="170" priority="3" default_width="170"> <record id="object_property" get_property="Pigo" set_property="hidn"/> </container> </container> <!-- More attribute stuff--> <container class="client_object_viewer_xml_panel" id="atT2" file="player/player additional attributes panel" minimum_width="170" priority="4" default_width="170"> <record id="object_property" get_property="objt" set_property="objt"/> </container> </container> </panel>

Can you share with me the little selector box in the middle of your page that has CA, PA and role name on please? I think it'll be easier to identify in a smaller wall of text. Thanks!

Seems to be very popular at the moment - utilising data instead of attributes so here is my take on something... This is barely even a WIP as I've just changed it around on my own attribute analyser but interesting in the feedback. On the left are the attributes that I'll be hiding but on the right, I'm able to create visualisations of it but also have the average score - which I think is essential to monitor player development, a big part of how I play. You can find the individual breakdown for each heading here. This is not the entire panel so has to be merged inside the player attribute analyser outfield if you want to steal my code for this bit! If this was to be replicated three times for defensive, transition and offence - I think that I could create three nice polygons, moving away from individual attributes and moving towards a more holistic view of the attributes that can be used in comparison with stats. Would love to hear any feedback on this!

No. I can get the report showing fine - I’m trying to isolate the ‘good player for x league’ from the stars, ideally with the green/orange/red icon that comes with it in the report.

(Early) June 2038 As I said, all recruitment and a lot of what I'm going to be doing here is just gathering names and creating some statistical analysis. My plan is to then use the DoF lists to create priorities for the signings in terms of what I'm willing to pay etc. I feel that giving the DoF a list of 'I have x number of targets, do your best' is a really realistic option to use. To reuse an old image, my confirmed deals are as follows: That means that the areas I'm looking to recruit are: Goalkeeper - to allow Ikeda to move on in order to maintain a starting spot in the Japan team. Left Back - ideally a backup for Schuur and an older player as Timmermans is promising in the U18 squad. Centre Back - Rotational option good enough for a couple of years until Quaye is ready for first team football. Centre Back - Older, short term option so that Bruneck can spend another year out on loan. Central Midfielder - Older, shorter term option so that Pander can spend another year out on loan. Winger - if the opportunity arises to move either Cespedes or Sharpe for profit comes about. With my new statistical tool, I'm able to see who's performing really well in comparison with the averages from the big leagues. Therefore, my first port of call was to scour the relegated teams from the top flights: Blackburn, Nottm Forest, Middlesbrough, St Pauli, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Deportivo de La Coruña, Almería, Rayo Vallecano, Cagliari, Monza, Crotone, Stade Brestois 29, Valenciennes FC, Paços de Ferreira and Arouca, to see what players I could see that stood out: (As always, all thumbnails throughout the post are clickable) I've got a potential left back here in Pavlovic, who, as I recall, wasn't awful as we routed De Graafschaap twice this season. 2.75 dribbles and 2.43 interceptions per 90 is a really strong output for a player who will have been stuck defending resolutely for the majority of the season. Majostorovic looks to be a decent ball playing defender but there are worries, from what I can already see, about his actual defending skills - but does come with 70%+ in both header and tackle completion and nearly three interceptions per game. Bernard looks an interesting, two-footed, high-flair option, who creates a clear cut chance every five games but 1.23 key passes per 90. These will be added to the shortlists as I get scout reports, hoping that they'll match up with the good statistical outputs. ---- I've also been able to use the normal statistical-based searching to uncover these players: Centre Back: Ten goals from 9.37 xG is an unreal return for a centre half but, more importantly, both tackle and header completion are above 70% and he's hitting more than 3.5 interceptions per 90, on a par with De Wit. He's also spent two seasons at this level with Twente before their relegation but wants to move on after they've failed to come straight back up: meaning he should be quite an easy steal if I want him. Early indicators tell me he's potentially a good leader and that's something I think we can benefit from, too. Central Midfield: Zhang has created 1.06 clear cut chances per game for PEC Zwolle in the second and Krajnc, despite playing his entire career in Slovenia, has twenty-five goal contributions in thirty-two games, also creating 0.99 clear cut chances per game. It's not a flash in the pan for Rok though as he has 93 goal contributions in his career and a handy career average rating. Dariusz is more of a dribbler than a creator - although has over 1.5 key passes/90 and 0.5 chances created/90 - and has recorded nearly 3.5 dribbles/90, far exceeding my own central midfielders, although I believe this will be due to where he is played on the pitch. With four players identified and the scouting and analysis process beginning, I can create this: It's a priority group for my DoF and I've stipulated the fact that I want a squad player who isn't breaking the bank in terms of wages and also isn't a record signing. I also really like how the six dots on the right of the name mean that I can change the order should new things come to light and I feel that Dariusz maybe isn't the best option for the club. This player group, as you can see from the ages I'm identifying, is a player who'll likely be here for a short term, until Thijs Pander is ready for the first team but has enough left in his legs that he may command a fee. I've ensured that these are On Hold until I have finalised reports with 100% knowledge, knowing that I'm not in a rush really, as I've done the hardest part of this process.

Thank you! I really don't know what to call my style and, with modern life meaning I watch probably 20% of the football I did in my childhood and teens, I really don't know who I could say it's comparable too. It certainly has that positional play ideology of Pep but the passing and, most importantly, the defensive structure, is nothing like Pep's style. Recruitment is coming along nicely and, again, I'm going for players who are statistically doing well - hoping to blow some minds in Europe with a cheaply constructed and undervalued squad!

Slow and steady but all your best youth only saves have been! Well done for another good season.

Perfect answer - makes sense! Love the focus on not blocking young talent, too.

I've just looked back at the last two pages and, if you needed any further confirmation that I'm invested here, have a look at this: That's just the monthly posts by me from July 2037 to May 2038.

May 2038 The season is over and it's been magnificent. We end wind up in third place, four places above our finish last year but - probably for all fans other than Feyenoord fans - unlucky not to finish second. We can look back with so much pride over the course of the season: a 24 game unbeaten run of which we kept nine clean sheets and a 5-0 thrashing of PSV. We end the season with a ridiculous GA column of just 14, scoring 64 times - slightly under our xG for the second year in a row but the signs of progress are so clear to see. I've decided to merge together the last month of fixtures as well as a deeper look into the stats of the players, so that I can keep my June update to solely recruitment stuff. --- De Graafschaap 0-5 FC Groningen What a win! However, I want to really dig into the play of Emile Escalona from this game, as he's becoming a really intriguing player to watch. In the screenshot, above, you can see all the passes that he received in that game; and interesting array and one that I think stems from the second and third player trait, as seen below. At present, I'm using an AF(a) as my sole attacker but these traits really extend that role into something that is becoming quite unplayable from time to time. His scoring form towards the end of the season has been great and his job for next season is to cement himself as the number one, which would move Jonsson back to the middle of the midfield, a role that he can also play well. In this shot here, he comes deep to lay the ball off, which is indictive of a DLF or even a F9 and you can see it again, here. Despite being an AF(a), he's playing at the same level as the wingers and centre mids, making him really difficult to mark. Yet, as seen here, he's still able to make darting runs across the defenders and onto the last man, scoring on this occasion as well as this one where a clever run took the defender out of the game, made easier by the presence of the centre mids. All in all, I think that these traits really alter the way that he plays, maybe turning him more to a CF but without the lateral roaming. I'm really excited to see what he can do as he continues to mature. Whilst the win was comfortable, I am happy that another slight tactical tweak helped us along the way. De Graafschaap play really wide wingers so my plan was to push them inside, stopping their chances to cross. What is more - in a move I've made previously - like to switch the IWB so that their strongest feet are on the inside. When they are tight to the touchline, I feel that cutting back inside opens up a lot more in terms of opportunities to dribble and to play through balls. This clip here shows Schuur doing just that and playing a ball over the top that Jonsson finishes. It's the little things! Ajax 2-0 FC Groningen We gave it everything! In the end, this may be the result that sees us drop to third, given that Feyenoord mustered up just enough to beat N.E.C 3-2 and leapfrog us but, if that's the case, we can finish third with our heads held high. An incredibly even game with an incredibly even xG score when you remove the sixth minute penalty that we conceded. I'm always going to say that it's a harsh decision but when it get checked by VAR following a 'that looked harsh' commentary line - I think it adds to my point! Giving a possession hungry team an early lead and with us being away from home was the nightmare start but we kept at it and created some really good chances following the early move to push the wide men back into the winger strata. Eventually, our attacking threat led to our demise as we were caught a little short on the back and they slotted in from a well worked move. FC Groningen 1-1 Go Ahead Eagles The curse has not been broken. We still are yet to win a game this season after going behind. We huffed and puffed and took a stupid number of low xG shots as well as a handful of really, really good chances but we couldn't beat the Go Ahead keeper more than once. A bit of a nothing game as soon as Feyenoord raced into a 2-0 lead at Excelsior but still not a damper on the season we've had. --- With so much focus on the tactical and team performances this season, I want to really dig into some player metrics and, to assist with that, I've put together a little bit of analysis that looks at some key, personalised, metrics as well as a comparative look at players of a similar level. This is a little subjective but I've taken players of different areas (defenders, midfielders and attackers) from the top seven leagues (Big 5 plus Portugal and Holland) to create some kind of target for each area. Whilst this isn't set in stone and is really dependent on team styles, it's a good benchmark for where we want to be at. It will be something that develops - as you can see, there are gaps to separate the areas that these players play and I might narrow it down even further to compare DMs with DMs, for example but, for now, these numbers will work. For clarity, I've borrowed a fair few things from @FMStag's wonderful work here. Defensive success rate is an average of their headers and tackles won. Whilst it's not weighted to the number of each completed, it's a decent idea of who is good at those areas. Key defensive actions is, as you'd guess, a total of Key Headers and Key Tackles, per 90 minutes. Key Pass % is the number of passes attempted that turned into key passes. Creative efficiency is the number of passes a player attempted that turned into chances. There is a small nuance between this and key pass percentage, purposely. Conversion rate is goals divided by total shots. Attacking contribution is dribbles, key passes, chances, non pen goals, non pen shot xG and G+A - all per/90 metrics - added together. Defensive contribution is interceptions, headers and tackles - again, all per/90 - added together. Overall is then the sum of those two, which is then ranked to the right. The highlights represent: green - the fiftieth percentile of players from that area of the pitch and blue - the ninetieth percentile. What this shows is that we are both really well suited for the style I want and also performing really really well! My aim is to progress the ball quickly, take risks with our passes and be clinical with our forward play in an almost total football approach, merging goal scoring opportunities between centre mids, wingers and forwards. Both Couto and Schuur have put up excellent numbers of Interceptions but also Dribbles too. They are both in the top 10% of the Big 7 players for Key Pass % and Creative Efficiency, which is even more fantastic when you consider that this area is being compared with midfielders, as opposed to full backs (as that was too much hassle for this initial trial). Considering that Konte is not a set piece taker, his key passes and creative efficiency is absolutely insane but, as it is with marginal gains, my plan is to work on his defensive contributions, bringing him more in to line with the others. Nearly one goal contribution a game for Bouma is world class and even better considering that he used pre-season to play himself into my plans. I have been most impressed with Jay ter Burg who, after a couple of posts about his conversion rate, has really buckled down and ends with sixteen goal contributions, at 0.63 per 90 minutes. Escalona's end of season form has put him up there as a strong attacker, usurping Gregory Sharpe, who has disappointed somewhat on his first season in Europe. Breaking it down a little further, I want to dig into a couple of individuals - clicking on the polygon gives you a link to their profile: It's never easy to replace a goalkeeper, especially not in mid-season, however that is what I did and I have been so impressed by the performances of Leino. I wanted someone who could command the area a bit better and was also handy with their feet, enabling us to start counters with his distribution. Whilst, as a team, we don't concede a huge amount of xG per game, Christian has, time and time again, made wonderful saves and preserved his clean sheet. An absolute steal at €550k. It's always a great feeling when you have a player that you earmark for a backup become a really strong member of the team. Whilst I have confirmed the signing of Kokora, he will have to displace Marco from the side based on his fantastic performances across the year. Whilst Schuur has the attribute balance that I would expect could give him these types of returns, Couto is a steady, well-rounded, experienced pro and has performed exactly what I've wanted him to do, without moaning or getting upset at all. Eight goal contributions, over 2.2 key passes/90, nearly 3.0 dribbles a game and a golden chance created about every two games. This is the reason why I love to look for undervalued and underused players: I can categorically say he wouldn't be doing this in the second tier at Twente. Another new face for the summer and one that, as the year has gone on, I've relied upon more and more. I had some concerns about fielding two left footed centre backs together but he and de Wit have formed a great partnership at centre back. Whilst a lot more of his defending (than de Wit anyway) has been clearances (12.23 to 9.12 per/90), he's matched him for Interceptions. At 6'4" tall, I'd like him to be more of a threat from corners as he's failed to find the net this season from a total of 1.73xG but, as defending goes, he's been pretty fantastic. The data viz above also doubles as a mass player search and, through that, I was notified that two of the top three players in the Big 7 for Creative Efficiency are mine, with Jordi Thijssen - of Excelsior - being the third. If I'm being honest, these are the kind of numbers I wanted from my Chilean, who has somewhat underperformed this season. The red flags are there though: poor Work Rate doesn't do too well in a team that has to hustle hard up and down the pitch, poor Finishing doesn't work when your inside forwards are relied upon to get in at the back post or through the half space and poor Teamwork doesn't work when you've got a specific set of instructions to follow. Even more concerning is that, at just 20, he should be relishing his time at our facilities, developing and progressing as he performs but he just hasn't. He's moaned at training and made no progress off the pitch. I know the role can work as Jay ter Burg has played quite well in it so I'm happy to persevere with Ariel but he really needs a strong start to next season. --- It's been a truly wonderful season and I hope that's been reflected in how I've posted and how engaged I've been with trying to make it an enjoyable read for all! It's certainly been my favourite ever season in any FM game. The summer will be fun for us as we look to strengthen in a few areas that will make us competitive in Europe and hopefully challenge Feyenoord again for that second spot. I then also have to manage the transition to a new set of team leaders, a new captain and vice captain and a much younger, less experienced squad plus dealing with any transfer bids that do come in for my players.

I'm in agreement, completely with this! @SixPointer alluded to something with his loan signings - if they've made a move to Real Madrid etc, they're going to be good as they'll have been scouted and watched by the best scouts in the world and, therefore, they can kind of sign, on merit, without the stats to back them up. But a St Pauli, Levante and SPAL player - probably not!

You've got the Ajax model spot on here! Nobody should be turning down that amount of money and you've replaced really well, in my opinion. I love Lie a Kwie and think he'll be great, as will Van Axel Dongen and they should be the next players off the production line after Gravenberch. My one area to really dig into though is about your loan signings. Now I know that you're following a similar approach to me in terms of realism and player stats > player attributes but what made you go for those players, who, presumably, aren't getting first team football at their club? Looking forward to the next update and also seeing how the trajectory of my time in Holland matches yours: whether it'll be the Sparta model or the Ajax model.