bart__goes
-
Posts
20 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Articles
FAQs
Online Manual
Support: Blocks
Support: Games
Bug Tracker
SIGames Manual (beta)
Profiles
Posts posted by bart__goes
-
-
On 10/07/2021 at 15:00, john1 said:
Still a decent season regardless what happened in May
Thanks mate. Still much better than in real life, but I guess everyone will do! Time to win the PL in the 3rd season..
0 -
Sorry for the late update. Took me a while to recover from this season and urgently needed to avoid FM for some weeks. Here is why..
2021-2022 H2
We were building something special. We immediately came on top of the table after our first PL game in Jan '22 (0-2 at Fulham). We conceded in the first game of Jan '22 (3-1 win against Luton in the FA Cup) but extended our run of consecutive clean sheets in the PL until 14 matches (winning 13 of them) equalling Edwin van der Sar's record from '07-08.
We stayed on top of the table until the very last game. We again completely ruined our very good season in May, winning only 1 game. We were still #1 before the final game of the season at Elland Road, but we had to win. Lacazette equalised 5 mins before time (1-1) while Liverpool won and thus became champions. So much drama. Never been more frustrated.
Also because we got knocked out by RB Leipzig in the CL semi-final, which was completely unnecessary. 44 shots vs. 11, we dominated, but lost 3-1 away and it was goalless at the Emirates. Very frustrated. We also got knocked out of the FA Cup semi-final. Against Liverpool we were 2-0 up after 75 mins, but it was 2-3 Liverpool after 90 mins. Literally everything went wrong in all competitions at the end of the season. No luck at all.
Time to re-structure the team, I want to make a lot of changes and buy some world class players. But with a transfer budget of only 95m it will not be easy.. Will drop an update on transfers soon.
0 -
On 25/06/2021 at 08:29, Lemoche said:
How much you get malen from psv for ?
Sorry for the late reply, switched off for a while after some late drama in my current Arsenal save.
But I got Malen for 73m EUR from PSV. Quite expensive but he was on fire, esp. the 2nd season scoring 43 goals in 41 matches. Wanted by Real Madrid after his 2nd season. See screenshots below
0 -
2021-2022 H1
With the confidence gained from pre-season and already some silverware in the pocket, we kicked off the '21-22 season with a tough opener at Anfield. A very mature performance from us and it looked like Starboy Saka would be the matchwinner, until we conceded a penalty in the 86th minute and 90+6 min. Luckily Donnarumma stopped the 2nd one; 1-1. A little disappointed as we could've win it, but in the end I can live with the result esp. after the chaotic end of the game. After a convincing opening of the season at the Emirates against Fulham (4-1, incl. a debut goal from Draxler and another amazing impact from the bench from Pépé) we unfortunately didn't stand a change away at City. Some first doubts started to grow in my head if we really could be a serious title contender. Winning 6-0 against Southampton did move away these thoughts quickly, but then we dropped 2 expensive points at Molineaux (4-4). A crazy game with the neutral fan being the big winner and me getting 10 years older in just 90 mins, my hair as grey as Wenger after thát equaliser from Tioté 10 years ago.
The inconsistent opening of the season was continued by a goalless draw against Lokomotiv Mosow at home, a very bad return to the Champions League. But, as things can change quickly in football, this was the start of a very good run. We won 9 matches in a row incl. another win in the North-London Derby (1-2), 2 wins away from home in the CL and surviving 2 rounds in the Carabao Cup.
At Stamford Bridge I experienced one of the most painful matches ever, losing 5-0. We refunded all fans who visited the match and a couple of harsh words followed in the dressing room. What a turning point this would be. After the Chelsea disaster, we won 13 matches in a row without conceding a single goal! What an unbelievable sequence. Donnarumma, Gabriel and Luiz Felipe were magnificent, forming an absolute block. Also Aubama-Blood-Clat-Yang revived and scored some important winners, e.g. against the leaders Man Utd (1-0) and a hattrick at Bramall Lane. We finished the 2021 year in style, adding a 3-0 win against Liverpool as latest result to our historic run. Luiz Felipe scoring the opener might be symbolic for the run we're on. Only 1 point behind Man Utd got me changing our goals for the season, informing the American bastard called Kroenke we are playing for the championship, and nothing less.
Curious how long we can continue our winning streak without conceding and if we can win the Premier League for the first time since '03-04..
Premier League
Champions League - Group Stage
0 -
A Busy Summer
While the boys were enjoying the beaches, visiting the Burj Khalifa and private zoos in Dubai I had to re-shape our squad. With a huge focus on the depth of the squad. It was hard to remain patient as there are always interesting players transfer listed for cheap prices throughout the summer. And after Fabrizio Romano confirmed the here-we-go for Ødegaard (€104m), our top priority, we had to sell first. And the majority I wanted to sell would only arrive in July after finishing their loan spells..
IN:
- Martin Ødegaard - Real Madrid - €104m
- Ousmane Dembélé - Barcelona - €66m
- James Ward-Prowse - Southampton - €44m
- Ricardo Pereira - Leicester City - €21.5m (€30m + add-ons)
- John Stones - Man City - €26.5m
- Gianluigi Donnarumma - AC Milan - Free
- Loris Karius - Liverpool - Free
(Otávio, Julian Draxler and a couple of youngsters were already arriving on a free transfer)
Quite satisfied with the reinforcements. Stones, JWP and Ricardo Pereira are very strong back-ups and I can see Stones and JWP fighting themselves in the first XI throughout the season. Dembélé is a bit of an emotional transfer; he was magnificent in previous FMs and I always wanted to buy him, I really love these kind of wingers on FM, but I never succeeded in buying him. Hope he's - together with Pépé - a good stand-in for Saka and Auba and can make an impact from the bench. I've doubted a lot about Donnarumma, but I couldn't resist signing him on a free. Moreover, he's young and will only develop further while Leno's stats will remain as they are. And yes, I saw you were blinking your eyes when reading the name of Karius. I understand, although I have to say his stats are really decent. But I was able to get him on a very cheap contract (only €50k p/m) for the reason that if I wanted to make some money on Leno, I already had a cheap replacement. Leno however stayed as he accepted his new role as cup goalkeeper and Karius has been loaned out so I can hopefully get some money for him next year.
OUT:
- Lucas Torreira - Hertha BSC - €33.5m
- Cédric - Wolves - €21.5m
- Pablo Marí - Crystal Palace - €21.5m
- Matteo Guendouzi - Sporting (POR) - €19.5m
- Willian - West Ham - €15.5m
- Callum Chambers - Fulham - €15.5m
- Salah Oulad M'Hand - Wolves - €12m
- Konstantinos Mavropanos - Ulsan - €9.25m
- Sead Kolasinac - Galatasaray - €5m
- Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson - SC Freiburg - €4.8m
- Ben Sheaf - WBA - €4m
- Daniel Ballard - Burnley - €2m
- Noticeable loan spells: Matinelli (Porto), Willock (Valencia), Nelson (Ajax), Balogun (Basel), Oddei (Stuttgart) and Karius (PAOK)
Also quite happy with the players gone. In total we received €132m for a lot of players who in real life I'd personally drive to any club without receiving a fee..
Pre-Season
We've had a very strong pre-season winning all 5 friendlies and only conceding in 1 of them. Esp. the final friendly against Inter Milan was very satisfying, leading with 4-0 at half time already. New players Draxler and Otávio also at the scoresheet which is always nice. We took our creativity and solid defence from pre-season with us to the Community Shield, of course the big test. We didn't allow City to create any big chance while 2 of Hale End's finest, Saka and ESR, got us lifting our 2nd trophy.
Curious what this season will bring us. With Liverpool away as season opener and Man City away as 3rd match, we'll soon find out where we really stand.
0 -
On 07/05/2021 at 22:26, john1 said:
Unlucky to lose on penalties to Benfica
Good season overall, will be intersting to see who you bring in the summer
Thanks mate! I agree, it could've been worse. It was a busy summer, will share an update asap 👍
0 -
April - May
After starting April with 3 points at Villa Park we dropped 3 expensive points at Brighton (2-0). Due to back-to-back winst against Newcastle and Leeds and the competition dropping some points too, we finished April still at the top of the table. 2 tough matches against AC Milan saw us getting through to the Europa League semi's. However, Saka and Lacazette picked up injuries and were practically both out until the end of the season, a huge blow. In the meantime we had an absolute crazy FA Cup semi final against Chelsea; 2-0 up with just 2 mins to go before Pulisic levelled in the 90+4th minute. Luckily we won on penalties!
After losing 2-1 in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Leicester City we absolutely smashed them at home (4-0). But here's where the trouble started. We didn't win any of our remaining 4 Premier League matches; draws against Liverpool and Wolves (both away) followed by a very painful 4-1 loss at Old Trafford. We started our final game of the season against Fulham at home in 3rd position (Man City already won the league), which was also a very disappointing match with Ceballos equalising in the 88th min (1-1). Not all ended on a negative as we did win the FA Cup, really happy with at least some silverware in the 1st season. 2 classic goals of Aubameyang resulted in a 2-1 win against a good Liverpool side and got got us lifting the trophy at Wembley. It's back home! The season ended however with an absolute anti-climax as we lost the Europa League final against Benfica on penalties after dominating for 120 mins..
Overall a very good season, we were even playing for the title until gameweek 35 which was above my (and the board's) expectations. We were fighting for 3 trophies, however, the season was just a couple of weeks too long. Playing a match every 2-3 days impacted the team's fitness a lot, which meant I had to rotate too often. The depth of the squad is not good enough and we couldn't replace Saka and Lacazette, the latter being the absolute star of the season with 35 goals in 46 matches in all competitions. Aubameyang also had an amazing season as right winger (35 goals and 11 assists in 49 matches) and Ødegaard's assists were finger-licking good (15 in 43 matches). Really want him to stay..
Transfer rumours
Transfer target #1 is Ødegaard, I'll do anything to buy him but not sure if Real Madrid is willing to sell. Next to that my key transfer strategy will be to deepen the squad, we need a much better bench. Due to Lacazette's crazy performance I'm likely throwing initial plans to buy a world class striker away. We have a budget of 140m with Draxler and Otávio already arriving on a free. Ramsey, Ceballos and Vinícius Júnior will return to their clubs after their loan spells and I'm planning to sell some of the famous dead wood. Below some names who're singing around the Emirates.
Feel free to share any thoughts, opinions or experiences!
0 -
January - March
Started Jan with some free signings (Draxler and Otávio), who will both arrive in summer. As I currently have 4 players on loan and am not sure what my budget will be next season, it's good to deepen the squad with them. Chambers and Martinelli both left on loan (to Everton and Schalke).
We opened the new year with an absolute cracker against Liverpool; 4-3. Pépé once again showed his skills when coming off the bench, scoring 2 goals. If there's one team in FM I don't want to have back-to-back away matches against it's City, but after a 2-0 loss in the Carabao semi's we took revenge and knocked them out of the FA Cup (1-2)! Dropped some points against Fulham and Leicester but in Feb we won all PL matches, incl. Spurs at home with a hattrick from Laca who has been magnificent. He's definitely my No. 9. Feb's amazing results got us even at the top of the table! Next, in March, we won at Stamford Bridge but lost against City at home, which means we're heading into April still as leaders with 2 points ahead of City, who are 2nd. Man Utd and Liverpool both follow on 4 points.
Wins against Krasnodar and Lazio mean we are in the quarter final of the Europa League, where we'll face AC Milan. Due to a lot of players being tired we had to play Krasnodar away (1-1) and Lazio at home with the subs (3-2), so really happy with the results. Esp. Nketiah impressed with his pace, scoring a brace against Lazio. In the FA Cup semi final we'll face Chelsea. Really happy with the season so far, still lots to play for and we're even a candidate for the PL title. Some though matches still to play however, esp. in April.
0 -
14 hours ago, flipfold27 said:
Well, I would say that he's absolutely a beast in GK position and expecting to develop better. I would say that his reflexes & height really make the differences.
Lovely, thanks mate! I'm going ahead and will offer him a contract to join The Gunners and cash in on Leno
0 -
November & December
What a season so far! Nov started with winning the NLD at ***** Hart Lane (0-1) followed by a very convincing performance of the subs against Molde before Pépé and Saka fired up the Emirates in the finals mins of the game against Chelsea (2-0). London is Red! After back-to-back wins vs. Villa and Molde we lost for the first time in the PL against City. I slightly changed tactics playing direct counter attack style with Partey as DM and Ødegaard next to Xhaka. We were unlucky to get behind after conceding a penalty after which Torres ended my hopes on a point 10 mins before the final whistle.
Normally Dec is a very tough month with loads of games and injuries but this time it has been absolutely great. We've won 8 out of 9 matches, although I can't deny we've had quite a favorable schedule. But a win is a win. Very strong first half of the season! ESR had a very good run in Dec (I played him as inverted winger whereas before he played more as advanced playmaker at #10) which got him the young player of the month award while Auba is player of the month and I'm manager of the month. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Outside of the PL we've finished as group leaders in the Europa League where we've drawn Krasnodar in the second round. A 3-0 win at Forest brings us closer to first silverware, although a tough match against City awaits us in the Carabao semi finals. We'll start Jan with matches against Liverpool (H) and City away twice in a row (Carabao Cup semi final and FA Cup 3rd round)..
0 -
On 20/04/2021 at 01:50, flipfold27 said:
I'm now doing my 2nd season save as Hertha BSC manager. (before Final Winter Update database) To be honest, it's quite fun to manage Hertha since the expectations aren't that difficult to achieve.
Finished 3rd during 1st season. My best signings for the 1st season are Orsolini and Almada. Also signed Aissa Mandi from Betis. Quite good CB/FB at bargain price.
For 2nd season, managed to get Donnarumma and Calhanoglu for free as both refused to sign new contract with AC Milan (they're not qualified for UCL). Also bought 2 French wonderkids- Aouar and Camavinga. But the board wasn't happy as they expected me to sign at least one world-class player but I'm preparing for the future so yeah, that's why I bought those two French wonderkids. Also bought Milenkovic from Fiorentina as CB.
How's Donnarumma doing so far? I'm doubting a lot to sign him on a fee on my Arsenal save. Normally I would sign him, but Leno has been really outstanding. On the other hand Donnarumma will only get better of course and is free which means I can generate some cash with selling Leno. Doubting a lot..
0 -
September & October
Really pleased with our start of the season! After a weak pre-season and loss in the Community Shield I organized a friendly vs. Chesterfield to build the morale. Maybe it helped as I had a very convincing PL debut at The Hawthorns with Auba and Laca on fire and a debut goal of Gabriel (0-5). Back-to-back wins in the Carabao Cup 3rd and 4th round in which the subs impressed, esp. Pépé with a hattrick agains Brentford. In between those matches a decent win at the King Power Stadium, we absolutely dominated but still conceded 2 goals. For some reason Leicester is always disappointing in my saves..
Also October went really well with 2 wins in the PL. Dropping the first points at St. Mary's - very unnecessary - due to a late equalizer of Redmond. We're in 3rd position atm, just 2 points behind leaders Man Utd who haven't dropped a single point yet. Auba is really on fire as a right winger scoring 8 goals in 6 matches, he's the current PL top scorer with Laca in 2nd position.
Good old Ciro Ferrara send us to group I of the Europa League where we're facing Wolfsberger, Sociedad and Molde. After my subs smashed Wolfsberger with Pépé again on fire scoring a brace, we won the most difficult group stage match in Spain via some Brazilian samba from Vinícius. Let's keep it going like this! Although the first real test has yet to come..
0 -
It's that time again. Taking control of the club I love so much and started supporting after the legendary Nwankwo Kanu moved to Arsenal back in 1999. After the glory years it has been hard, we all know it. I truly believe we could perform so much better if managed well - or at least managed better than previous years.
Not sure what to expect of season 1, in previous editions always had a mediocre first season and the squad hasn't really improved to my opinion. Aiming for a top 4 spot and I want to win the Europa League. We are true cup fighters, so every season we should aim at bringing home the FA Cup.
Transfers
Key target is a ball playing central defender. Not a big fan of Luiz, neither in real life nor FM. For the rest I really want to deepen the squad, which will be a big challenge given the limited budget of 29m. Not a fan of loan transfers, but I guess I just have to. When doing so I always try to negotiate an optional future fee. The results of my first transfer window:
Luiz Felipe
Very pleased to be able to sign Luiz Felipe from Lazio. Great stats, only 23 years old and happy with the deal: 30.5m (18.5m now and 12m in installments). Only downside is that he's injured still for 2 months.
Aaron Ramsey
He's back home. Desperately needed an extra CM as Ceballos was the only alternative to Partey and Xhaka. Loan transfer with an optional future fee of 20m.
Vinícius Júnior
I wanted an additional left winger that could perform from day 1. Martinelli is still injured for a while so ESR is the only one left but still young and somebody I prefer to play at #10 as an advanced playmaker. Willian is not my type of FM winger (much too slow) and I wanted to loan out Reiss Nelson. Besides, Vinícius performed really well in the 1st season of my Ajax save so it's a no-brainer. No optional future fee unfortunately.
Danny Rose
I agree. Not a top shot. But how can a top club only have 1 LB? Real life frustrations. Cédric at LB is not an option for me. So it's Rose. And tbh, buying him for 1.7m (can be 3.4m in total in the future) is a real bargain. He's also English of course so handy for the squad rules and I simply don't have the money to spend more. It's a short term solution.
I also signed a couple of future wonderkids on a free: Collins (Dortmund), Gnonto (Zürich), Devine (Spurs
) and Oddei (Sassuolo).
Players that left the Emirates:
- Elneny (Ajax - 26.5m)
- Balogun, Nelson, Martinelli, Rúnarsson, Illiev, Oddei and Rekik - all loaned out
Tactics
Here's my preferred XI in a 4-2-3-1 wide. I've tried Auba successfully as a right winger before, so will start him there again as I want Starboy Saka on the left with his pace and good crossing. Laca has always performed for me but his stats have been decreased a bit in FM21, so hope he will still score lots of goals.
Pre-season and Community Shield
Very inconsistent pre-season. Of course Starboy Saka scoring the first goal of my save. But an unconvincing 1-0 win at Shrewsbury and a loss against Hannover 96 and Lazio at home is quite weak. Didn't expect to win the Community Shield tbh. Although Saka pulled one back after being 2-0 down in just 30 mins, we didn't stand a chance (shots: 3 vs. 20 for Liverpool). Pre-season conclusion: lots of work to do..
1 -
3rd and final season:
- Winner Eredivisie - Undefeated!
- Winner KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup)
- Winner Johan Cruijff Schaal (Super Cup)
- Champions League semi-finalists (City again..)
We started the season by winning the Super Cup with 8-1 against AZ, with Malen scoring 5 goals. A performance that would be characteristic for his season; 43 goals in 41 matches. Very delighted to have become undefeated champions in de Eredivisie. New players like Camavinga (58m) and Koulibaly (40m) turned out to be the stars of the 3rd season.
Unfortunately I didn't win the CL. After finishing 2nd in a group with Man City, Inter and Fenerbahçe we beat Dortmund by 5-1 over 2 matches in the second round. Highlight of the campaign was beating Liverpool 3-0 at home in the quarter final after dominating but drawing (1-1) at Anfield. Man City have really been the only club I couldn't beat, knocking us out in the semis..
Although there's still lots of potential in the squad - next to the big names I owned lots of wonderkids who were developing really well (e.g. Badiashile, Joelson Fernandes, Zirkzee, Musiala, Gravenberch, Ünüvar, Brobbey) - I need a new challenge as I'm pretty done with the Eredivise.
So it's time for a new save. Time to bring back Arsenal to the top, please follow my updates here:
0 -
Finished my 2nd season:
- Winner Eredivisie
- Winner KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup)
- Winner Johan Cruijff Schaal (Super Cup)
- Champions League finalists
Almost a perfect season. We won all domestic prices, I hoped to become the Dutch Invincibles but our undefeated streak in the Eredivisie ended in March when we lost 2-1 at FC Twente (only game we lost in the Eredivisie). We beat PSV very easily with 4-1 in the Super Cup and 3-1 in the Cup final with their starboy, Malen, back to where he belongs; in an Ajax shirt.
We had a magnificent CL campaign. Group leaders after winning all matches except for a draw at Benfica (others were CSKA and Fenerbahçe, easy draw). Next, we took revenge at Bayern by beating them twice! Maybe our best match of the season was Real Madrid at home in the quarter finals; 4-1 (hattrick Malen!). Almost got FMed in the away match (5-2 loss, conceding in 86th and 88th mins.) but went through based on away goals. Bit of a lucky draw in the semi finals with Lazio, although they smashed Man U in their quarter finals. We won 1-0 at home and drew 3-3 away. Finally we lost the CL final 2-0 against City in what you can call the most boring final ever. 2 chances, 2 goals while we had all possession but only created 1 chance. Very disappointing end to an amazing season.
David Neres was the absolute hero of the season (played him as a left winger), scoring 23 goals and providing 17 assists. Malen scored 27 in 44, not bad but I'm expecting more in his second season. A lot of pace was added to the first XI by buying Dodo (2 goals, 8 assists), Adama Traoré (13 goals and 10 assists in 43 matches while only starting 22 of them) and Cengiz Ünder (loan with option to buy of 29m). Blind and Eric Garcia also had an amazing season.
Due to our CL success we also qualified for the World Cup for Clubs, nice stage to be present with Ajax again. Unfortunately we got knocked out again by City, losing 2-1 in the quarter finals. At least a much better game, time for revenge in the 3rd season!
Transfers
League table
Matches
0 -
15 hours ago, Smaldini said:
I play him as a Right-Back, and on the few occasions he's played as a Wing-Back he's done well there too. I haven't tried him in midfield but he looks like he could be a good DLP.
Decent, thanks a lot!
1 -
On 21/02/2021 at 01:01, Smaldini said:
Season two done and we managed to win everything but the FA Cup. We lost out in the semi-finals again, this time to Everton who beat us 3-1 (we were down to 10 men through injury, but Pogba scored a late penalty to send it to extra time, wish he'd missed it tbh). They went on to beat Liverpool in the final on penalties. Funnily enough Everton had another final a few days later, beating Copenhagen on penalties to become the inaugural Europa Conference champions. Liverpool had an abysmal UCL group stage and finished third behind Benfica & CSKA Moscow, but they went on to beat Chelsea in the Europa League final...and a few days later we made sure the North-West had dominated Europe by beating Juventus 2-0 in the Champions League final, real comfortable game too.
Martial was the golden boot winner in the CL (11 goals in 9 games) and Forward of the season, more on him later. The odd thing about Axel winning Defender of the season is he didn't make the CL Team of the Year, it was Maguire and Alaba at the back (and rightly so as they played more). But I do think Team of the Year may be broken, because in the Premier League Martial didn't make the team despite finishing on 20 goals, one behind the golden boot winner Lautaro Martinez (Liverpool signed him) yet Firmino did with a measly 10 goals....Football Writer's Player of the Year Mason Mount didn't make the team but Pogba did despite him not contributing as much to our league success as Fernandes did, who also missed out. Then they had Milner at left-back in the team even though Robertson had the second highest average rating (behind Mount) and both Shaw & Telles had a better year than Milner; so it's pretty dodgy. The club had to pay Pogba £950k for his place in the TOTY too and he really didn't deserve it, I'm beginning to regret extending his contract tbh.
Broke one or two records this year. We were behind Liverpool & Chelsea for the first few months but by the time December came round Chelsea started to drop off, and by February Liverpool were behind us. In the Carabao Cup final we beat Chelsea 3-0 using a 3-4-1-2 formation which Lampard seemingly can't handle, because in our final home league game they were beating us 1-0 but I switched from 4231 to the aforementioned formation and both Rashford & Martial bagged a hat-trick each in the second half. I did say a back three might be my main formation this season, but with Cavani's massive decline & months-long injuries to Martial & Greenwood in the summer it made sense to continue with one striker up front. I did stick to my guns by abandoning the 433 formation though, it's been 4231 for the majority of the campaign with the occasional switch to a back three in cup games. The transfers I made played a part in my decision to stick with wingers too...
At the start of the summer Dembele was transfer-listed for £77m, by the end of it his price had dropped so low I just had to take the risk. Fred was seeking a move elsewhere but the offers weren't good enough, I saw Villa were interested though so I thought I'd bring Grealish in & get Fred off the books at the same time. Wan-Bissaka came to me in the summer demanding higher wages (he wanted £195k ffs) so we had a falling out, luckily I had Gabriel Menino coming in anyway (I signed him for £16m) and he's done well as first choice RB this year, and Williams is good cover too. Camavinga was coming in for about £10m cheaper but Rennes went under a transfer embargo cancelling the deal, they were stingy when it came to renegotiating and wanted £80m but I've never signed him before so I was fine with compromising at £74m. The other two lads were mainly brought in as extra bodies for the U23s, but they both have fairly good potential too. Also had Talles Magno for £17m iirc (it was a release clause, I know that much) but let him finish off the Brazilian season so he arrived in January. Not sure why he or Menino aren't showing up in this list.
Martial has been incredible. Had a few injuries throughout the campaign but was quality whenever he did play. Scored the winner in the Community Shield despite not being fully fit for the game, also scored in the League Cup & Champions League finals, twenty goals in twenty league games too. Memphis was reliable for most of the season, but before the CL he told me he didn't think he'd ever be good enough to start and wants to leave so I promised I'd let him go in the summer. That means Greenwood will exclusively be Martial's understudy from now on, hopefully he won't be as plagued by injuries as he was this year. I'm definitely selling James too as he didn't do much on loan to Wolves, Magno and Pellistri will be loaned out (hopefully the latter actually gets given the agreed game time, Palace wasted him). Chong has scored I think 26 goals on-loan at Porto, so he'll be a rotation option next season. Amad did well on loan to Wolfsburg too so I'm going to see if he's ready to perform in the PL now.
Cavani is leaving when his contract expires, unfortunately he just declined way too much. Matic still has a year left but he's declined massively too so I'll try and get him out. Koopmeiners is unhappy because he wants more money, we had a row over it but on reflection I think I will offer him a new deal because he is only on £45k at the moment. I'm open to selling Donny and even Pogba though. Bowen was more impressive this year but I still want him out too. Not sure if I'll make any big signings this summer, but in my social feed I see Liverpool sniffing around Sancho, Chelsea trying to get Frenkie, PSG chasing Haaland...it's tempting to interfere.
Are you able to share a screenshot of Gabriel Menino's stats and career history? Looking at potentially buying him in my Ajax save.
And do you usually play him as CM or RB?
0 -
First season results:
- Winner Eredivisie
- Winner KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup)
- Champions League: defeated in quarter finals by Bayern Munich
Eredivisie
The complete top 4 played went head to head for almost the complete season, really nice to see the others performing better than in previous FMs.
Antony has been an absolute beast scoring 27 goals in 44 matches. Vínicius Júnior was unstoppable and Yazici an absolute bargain with with 10 goals and 15 assists of which 9 of 10 goals were absolute crackers. I've read it in another blog as well, but Lassina Traoré was the best second striker you could wish for. Doesn't matter how many minutes he got, he always scored ending at 20 goals in 45 matches of which he only started in 10. What a beast this man is!
KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup)
We started with a tricky first match against Vitesse which we won after penalties. Next, my substitutes showed why they are not my first XI as they had a difficult game against RKC Waalwijk, so I had to bring on a couple of my starting players which turned it around in the second half. The final against cup fighters FC Utrecht was a true football show.
Champions League
The stage where the world fell in love again with Ajax in recent years is the stage I want to have my biggest success. I have been struggling in recent FMs.
I couldn't complain about our group with Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Olympiakos. An unnecessary lost in Germany was followed by wins against Brugge and Olympiakos home and away. Next, we beat Bayern at home in an amazing match. We won it late, again Traoré as a sub who made 2-1, but fully deserved it. A win in Belgium and we would have finished as group leaders, but after an amazing start we lost unfortunately.
Dortmund wasn't the toughest possible opponent, but I did fear Haaland and Sancho I have to admit (and not for no reason, they scored both in the first leg). In a beautiful match Yazici (1 goal and 2 assists) and Antony (2 goals) delivered us a 4-2 win. In these European matches I play Blind as DLP just in front of my central defenders. In a packed Signal Iduna Park we countered to a 0-1 win, we didn't had any problems at all.
Next, we drew Bayern again and I was hopeful after our group win at home. Unfortunately Bayern was the better team in both matches, which they won both 2-1. Not a disaster to be eliminated by Bayern in the quarter finals, but I hoped for more. Again Traoré scored as a sub in Munich, what a player this is.
Free Winter transfers and Summer targets
I always try to get some players for free in December, just to deepen the squad or to sell them not long after to make some money.
IN:
- Eric Garcia (Man City)
- Joshua King (Bournemouth)
- Marco van Ginkel (Chelsea)
- Sergio Gómez (Dortmund)
- Jetro Willems (Frankfurt)
- Fosu-Mensah (Man Utd)
- Mo Besic (Everton)
- Theo (Real Madrid)
OUT:
- Huntelaar (CSKA)
- Noa Lang (Club Brugge), was part of his contract already
Already quote some players will arrive in Amsterdam. But Summer is the time to strengthen my first XI to create a solid team for my second season. I want to be the Bayern Munich of the Netherlands (no, not because they knocked me out of the CL
) and thus buy the best players from PSV and AZ. Priority is a striker, although Antony did very well, I would love to have Malen or Boadu which allows me to play Antony on the right wing.
With Vínicius Júnior going back to Madrid I also want an extra pacy winger. I'm thinking to sell Mazraoui for a nice price to create some funds and buy a better RB.
0 -
Hello everyone,
After playing FM (and CM as it was called when I fell in love with the game) for 20 years now, it's time to write my first story. I've always been enjoying reading other career stories like children enjoy fairy tale books, so here we go! I traditionally start every FM game with my beloved Ajax.
Looking forward to your comments and feel free to drop any questions and experiences from your Ajax saves.
Goals season 1
With this squad we definitely need to win the Eredivisie. I want to win the double, so also the cup. We'll need to see what's realistic in the CL, depends a bit on the draw of course, but I'm aiming at the quarter finals as a minimum.
The Squad
I think the squad is already well balanced. Defensively very solid with Onana, Tagliafico and Alvarez. Lots of talent and experience on midfield with e.g. Gravenberch, Blind and Tadic. Brazilian samba on the wings with Antony and Neres but not a true number 9 in my opinion. With the highest starting budget I've seen for Ajax so far in FM, €50m, I will try to strengthen the team but I do prefer to start with the current squad as much as possible.
Transfers
My key priority is a creative CM who can provide me with assists and goals. Next, I want a back up LB and will try to find an additional winger. The result:
- Vínicius Júnior - Real Madrid - LW - Loan (€1.5m), no option to buy
- Yusuf Yazici - Lille - CM - € 6.25m (pot. €7.5m)
- Baba Rahman - Chelsea - LB - € 6m
Oliver Aertssen - Liverpool - CV - €925k (was on youth contract, couldn't reject)
Very happy with the transfers, I was surprised my initial, low bid on Yazici got immediately accepted by Lille. Rahman fits the system well, decent back-up for Nico and Vínicius Júnior is very welcome and will solve my striker issue as I will now play Antony up front. I don't like loaning players without an option to buy, but given his quality I guess this is a scoop.
Tactics
Since FM20 I'm successfully playing Gegenpress if the squad allows me to do so. Ajax perfectly fits this attacking style, so a no brainer for me. Due to the arrival of Vínicius Júnior I will play with Antony up front. This will give me amazing pace and dribbling qualities on the wings and up front. I want Yazici to be a key player so he's my advanced playmaker, allowing Tadic at #10 to attack as much as possible.
PS. Please note I started the save before the winter update.
0
.png.1b8008413ad7fbae797e51794c0faa13.png)
Good season overall, will be intersting to see who you bring in the summer 
) and Oddei (Sassuolo).
.png.25bbd232b12aa5e8c32bc01d99886dd1.png)
.png.a768b156c7dcbc7029a2f6073fb89bf2.png)
.png.6adbcc25c8179c89f240cc5ec5d1ff5b.png)
FM21 Arsenal - Gunning back to the top
in FM Career Updates
Posted
Transfers Season 3
It took me a while as the 95m starting budget wasn't really allowing me to go all out straightaway, but I'm very happy with the transfer window. Raised €252m with outgoing transfers, managed to sign some world class players and also improved the bench.
IN: Haaland (€95m, + add-ons €131m), Aouar (€89m), Hakimi (€85m, + add-ons €92m + add-ons), Luis Alberto (€37.5m, + add-ons €47m ), B. Mendy (€10.75m), Rui Patrício (€6.25m, + add-ons €14.75m) and Ronaldo Camará (free). Moukoko will arrive in January
OUT: Bellerin (Atlético Madrid - €45.5m), Draxler (Dinamo Kiev - €37.5m), Leno (Dortmund - €33.5m), Nelson (Hertha BSC - €30m), Nketiah (Roma - €29.5m), Xhaka (Derby County - €28.5m), Rodrigo Márquez (Everton - €10.25m), Labila (Watford - €7.5m), Rose (Olympiacos - €6.5m), John-Jules (Stoke - €4.7m), Karius (Fenerbahçe - €4.4m, + add-ons €5.75m), Osei-Tutu (Brentford - €3.2m), Medley (Stoke - €3m), Cox (Chelsea - €1.3m). Most noticeable loan transfer is Lacazette to Napoli for €3.8m + 100% of wages (just nobody interested in buying him!)
Tactics Season 3
It's all or nothing for my Arsenal too, only without Amazon cameras. This is the team that needs to deliver us the first PL title since '03-04. COYG!
Other first team players are Holding, Saliba, Ricardo Pereira, Willock, Ronaldo Camará, Otávio and ESR. Tierney has taken over the captain's armband from Auba.