CameronFM
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Posts posted by CameronFM
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Can you teach me the art of doing nothing?! I attempted this with Sæter, but the performances just glided all the way through the period of nothingness!
A great start regardless, and it’s good having the main man back in action.
Whilst you are rotating prior to a UCL game, what’s the end goal for this season? Are you looking to just secure European football - at any level - or is the push towards 2nd a real expectation?0 -
When work hands you awful jobs, make lemonade!
Not quite, but I’ve taken some time out today to catch up on this save and just wow!
Excited for your next adventure - wherever that may be!1 -
2 hours ago, keeper#1 said:
Sounds very similar to my season at Birmingham. Just not good enough to contend.
It is very frustrating to say the least, particularly seeing a team being so reliable to incompetent in a matter of weeks! At first, I had it down to play 2/3 teams a week with the European qualifiers, but once we were dumped out the players were just trudging along.
Hopefully a bit of freshness in terms of tactics and potential signings could kick them up the backside - they so desperately need it!
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For some reason or another, I thought was fairly decent at understanding the game, formations and opposition. If I knew of a problem or could identify one coming through, I would look to correct it ASAP to avoid an adverse effect on the team's morale and seasonal goals. This is the first save that I have found myself scratching my head trying to work out where it is going wrong.
Rosenborg 2023
This post marks the end of my first season in charge in Trondheim, and it's been, well, eventful to say the least.
Rosenborg xG throughout the season
I think for a team that is looking to be on the front foot and attack, our xG each game is far too low. Only on 8 occasions did we exceed an xG of 2.00, despite creating ample opportunities across the season. Our averages for the season were 1.75 xG, 15.2 shots per game and 6.3 shots on target per game.
Not good enough, and as expected, it would come back to haunt us.
Our form had gone right out the window after going toe-to-toe with Bodø/Glimt over the first 15 games, the second half of the season caused major concern for me going forward. Despite our goals scored being not too dissimilar, we conceded double the goals from the first half of the season and we limped to a 4th placed finish.
European football might not even be coming to Trondheim next season, as Vålerenga have a chance of qualifying through the Norwegian Cup final against Brann - the expectation should be that Brann wins this cup, but anything can happen.
So now what?
Well, we have the whole of December, January and February to begin planning our comeback - March for pre-season. Considering the above, it will be a huge four months for the club.
Neither goalkeeper has covered themselves in glory this season, despite the reasonable average ratings of 6.89 and 6.81 respectively. When it comes to the big stats that matter, they are severely lacking in comparison to the top 20 leagues, but I cannot hone in on these figures without factoring in the defence. After all, if a goalkeeper is playing behind a shaky defence, they tend to be under more pressure.
The above chart suggests that the goalkeepers are doing their job, there is room for improvement, but to me, it would point in the direction of the outfield players giving up chances.
Defenders
From a team perspective, we are actually performing better defensively than expected. Now we can see from the second half of the table that this isn't the case. But as a whole, the team is performing well above the league average which is concerning in its own right.
If we are defending better than expected, what drives the goals?
The bulk of the problem is from around 12 yards out where we conceded 13 goals (excluding the 2 penalties). Frustratingly, there is no data available in the Data Hub to show me anything from our box, so I would have to rely on match reports to determine the source of our problems. However, I found the Pressing Intensity graph to be interesting as it suggests our defensive line sits on or around the 40-yard mark.
This would suggest that we sit anything between 5-10 yards off the halfway line, and leave 22 yards of space between the last line of our defence and goalkeeper - are we still getting caught out with the long ball? Well according to the assists against graphic, the through ball is the bulk of assists. Frustratingly, Bodø/Glimt sit closer to halfway in comparison to us but don't face the same problems.
With that in mind, I feel as though we should perhaps drop our defensive line back or introduce a sweeper-keeper into the mix to try and deal with the long balls over the top. Or both! It could be the fine balance between the two.
Attacking Outputs
Now onto the other main problem we have. Attacking outputs. Our run of form towards the end of the season was very inconsistent as I began to tinker much more often than I should have. In the final 10 games alone, I had changed the tactic as little as 3 times; introducing a poacher role, bringing in an inverted winger and finally, ripping the full thing up and bringing in more roles than I should have. Results went as expected with this amount of tinkering, 4 wins and 6 defeats was the record as I was left scratching my head - we lost the xG battle in only 3 games.
In my previous post, I spoke about Sæter not living up to my expectations. I found that he was dropping too deep and not being involved enough in the final third, and with that conclusion, I changed his role to be a poacher. Sit there and don't move. In the 8 games he played as a poacher, he grabbed 6 goals taking his total to 7 for the season with an xG of 9.54. Still underperforming, but a massive turn in fortune.
Holm was a massive threat off the left side of the pitch for us and had grabbed roughly 8 goals in 15 league games. In the second half of the season, he ended with 4. I suspect this is down to his head being turned due to interest from European clubs and we wouldn't sell unless a bid came in matching the valuation of £4M - he did still over-perform on his xG of 13.37 in the end.
It seems that our biggest problem is hitting the target with our shots. Only 41% of our shots from the full season were on target (189 shots on target from 456), which seems to be excessively low. In comparison to the league, it isn't as bad as it seems. We lead the way with the most shots, Bodø is just behind us with 416 shots over the season, and 41% of theirs hitting the target (170), and Brann is third with 369 and a rate of 42% (154). In my opening post, I spoke about players 'creating opportunities to allow their teammates to perfectly do their job'. I have the feeling that our chance creation is not letting my front three do this, and this is leading to low conversion.
Tactics for 2024
Well, the big question - what changes?
Nothing in terms of shape. The 433 is here to stay as I think we can get the best out of the players in this manner. But we do need to focus on the positional roles, individual instructions where necessary and tactical instructions.
The introduction of a sweeper keeper could be the way forward, but to give myself that bit of extra security, I want Jenssen to cover a bit deeper whilst pushing out wide when we have the ball. In theory, with the half-back in front, we should already be a back 4 if we turn over the ball, and it is leaving the onus on the opposition to beat our press to hit quickly. The half-back is then in place to ensure we have more numbers than the opposition attack should the ball go long - 62% of our games have had a lone striker playing against our defence. I want a combative midfield to win the ball back and move it on quickly, and with the introduction of a winger, I want that half-space covered when we reach the final third. The purpose of the winger is to try and drag the defence out so that our IF, Mez and Poacher have space to operate in.
I've elected to go with standard width in the attacking phase, but change our passing directness from short to standard whilst maintaining the slightly higher tempo and hitting early crosses. We have dropped the notion of counter-pressing and countering but still want to keep pace in the game with quick goalkeeper distribution to the back four. I still expect our attacking front line to press much more often and this is supported by their high-press instruction. We will deploy a standard defensive line in the hope of quashing long balls, but I am keen to move this further up should we resolve this area of concern.
Football theories and all. We can only put this into practice now, and with a pre-season looming, it's now or never.
Transfers
It doesn't look as though we will have a great deal to spend, so most of our business could be cheap loans or free agents. The policy of sell first buy second will be in place once again but there is stark interest in our players as things stand. Holm was attracting Hoffenheim and Lyon during the summer months; their interest looks to have cooled down for now, but anything could change in the January window.
I have earmarked a couple of targets should we lose anyone. I was extremely interested in Lasse Nordås, but the Tromsø/Rosenborg rivalry is not one to be messed with and he has no interest in joining us.
It could well be a quiet window or two in Trondheim.
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I'm trying to work out if it is either the player or the team that is going through a crisis when it comes to the subject of Sæter's form.
We have just entered September in the save, and at the same time, just vacated from European football. A 10-2 aggregate win over Dukagjini Klinë set up a tie with Austria Vienna that was nervy, but we managed to overcome them 6-5 on aggregate. This result booked our place in the final qualifier against Danish side FK Midtjylland, and it was always going to be a tough ask. Despite losing 4-2 in Denmark, we won 2-1 in Trondheim, but it was not to be. The Danes qualified for the Europa Conference League, and we would need to go through qualifying again in a year.
I sat there thinking what could have been, and where perhaps we had gone wrong during the two games. And then my thought stretched to more what-ifs. What if Ole Sæter was actually in form going into the game?
The striker returned to action on match day 5 for a half-hour cameo as getting minutes into his league was going to be crucial. By match day 6, we upped his minutes and he was in a position to start his first game of the season. With a goal and an assist on his first full start, I had high hopes for the striker, but that soon turned into months of frustration. Granted his role has been changed to an advanced forward from his natural pressing forward, but his returns have been very underwhelming. Since his goal on his first start, he has only notched one further assist.
Surprisingly, his average ratings over these games have been consistent. He has never dropped lower than a 6.4 rating, but his performances have tended to be one of being present; not achieving much but he is there to help out in spells. Per our metrics, his xG is sitting at 4.40, meaning he is underperforming by 3.4 and averaging a goal every 811 minutes - a goal every 9.01 matches. For comparison, Agon Sadiku (currently injured) has one goal and an xG of 1.27, averaging a goal every 288 minutes - every 3.2 matches. Noah Jean Holm has 17 goals with an xG of 10.81, averaging a goal every 96.29 minutes.
And therein is our problem. Holm is leading our scoring charts by some distance, Þorvaldsson is second with 7 goals. Nypan and Broholm are both third with 5. There is a massive shortage of goals, and it is not surprising to see this shortage finally impacting our performances.
We are 4 goals shy of where we are expected to be after 20 games, and with it now going into the business end of the season, we need Sæter firing. We sit 7 points behind Bodø/Glimt, with no games remaining against them, so we need to ensure that our performances are near perfection every week.
Sæter Touches
From the 12 games I have drawn data from (excluding HamKam as a wing-back), Sæter has touched the ball a total of 335 times. But alarmingly, only 8% of these touches are in the box. These are staggering statistics, and it worries me that he is dropping out of position far too much, in any combination of roles I play him.
Sæter Shots
However, the worrying metric is coming through his shots. He has amassed 23 shots throughout the games in question, with 20 of them being inside the box - 43% of his shots are hitting the target. From his profile, we know that natural finishing is not Sæter's strongest skill, but I feel that we need a presence inside the box in a more attacking-minded team. Judging by both touches and shots, it seems that Sæter's shots are all first-time shots, and if he cannot naturally finish chances, then we know that this is likely to take a hit.
For the remaining 10 games, I want to experiment with the idea of deploying Sæter as a poacher within the formation. A lot of our chances are being created from within the box and on the outskirts of the box, I am hoping that if we stop Sæter from dropping so deep for the ball, we give ourselves an additional option inside the box for further chances. He may not take said chances, but that is something that will be reviewed in the final stretch of games.
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A great start to the season so far!
Interesting discussion surround Mohamed. I too, am struggling big time with Sæter at Rosenborg, but your analysis and breakdown has given me a starting point to see what the issue actually is.
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Lovely to see another save in Norway!
A great first season, and no shame in defeat to a side like Bodø/Glimt in the final. Finances could be tough to manage in the off-season, but hopefully you are able to shift a couple of lesser important players off to help clear this instead of losing key men!
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30 minutes ago, El Payaso said:
Never really managed in Norway but I have been quite tempted by the idea, and who knows if I will do it on FM 2025.
Rosenborg has quite legendary reputation here in Finland and it is a common phrase here that some of our local clubs might become the Rosenborg of Finland (which HJK obviously is at the moment).
Good luck with this. Hope to see some Finnish talent, along with Väänänen and Sadiku, in your plans. Sadiku was really good few years ago with Honka.
Neither had I, but enjoying the league so far!
Finland will be on the cards in FM25 I think, I need a complete break from bigger leagues and I tend to enjoy my saves a whole lot more going off the beaten track, so to speak.
Sadiku is going to be featuring a helluva lot more right now. I’m struggling to get a tune out of Sæter, but unsure if it was rushing him back from a long lay-off. Väänänen certainly is an interesting player, just finding it hard to give him more minutes when the midfield are performing to expectations right now!0 -
With the transfer window about to open for the Norwegian clubs, I felt it was time to review performances within the first four months of the season.
Jordi raises major concerns in his senior team report surrounding these areas and to some, the set-piece first contact stat would be alarming. However, when breaking down the facts and figures, this is not so much an area of concern:
Whilst Jordi does have areas of concern, I don't feel these are paramount enough to factor in before a transfer window. Yes, of course, depth can be improved and positional quality can be worked on but I need to hone in on the fact that we seem to be struggling to put games to bed, despite creating enough opportunities inside 90 minutes.
Over 16 league games so far, we have accumulated 246 shots which averages to be 15 shots per game. Alarmingly, we have only put 101 of those shots on target, which averages out to be 6 shots on target a game.
With this amount of shooting opportunities, I would expect to see us creating clear-cut chances more often, but it doesn't seem to be ticking for some reason or another.
We are certainly busy in and around the box when it comes to goals and assists, but is it a case of player quality more than the setup in place?
At the other end of the park, we are losing goals from within our box as opposed to the outskirts of it, but tend to struggle to deal with passages of play from deep and on the wide areas, particularly the left-hand side. When reviewing the data over the last 5 matches, there does not appear to be any particular reason for these shortcomings. Which makes me believe it is solely down to tactics.
Our starting left-back is Adrian Pereira, who I was excited to utilise down this flank. I've stuck by him for most of the season so far, but perhaps this is one area I need to review once more. He is deployed as an attacking wing-back on the left with the view to overlap, which is perhaps leaving him completely out of position during a turnover. Now I could justify this if his attacking output was consistently good, but 2 goal contributions in 16 appearances is a bit alarming, even more so with the amount of assists coming from his side.
On the right, Erlend Dahl Reitan has been deployed the most, and whilst his attacking output is far greater than Pereira's, he only has 3 assists to his name this season. Whilst not as many of our opposition's goals originate from this side of the park, too many are still occurring and I ponder if it is down to the overlap instruction. I am still happy enough to allow Reitan to go forward more often than Pereira on the opposite side, it suits his style of play after all, so I will give him the freedom to go forward through an attacking mentality.
Approach - Remove the overlap instruction on both sides. Drop left wing-back mentality to support to try and secure that flank.
A final change to the team is in the midfield three's shape. I started the season off deploying an anchor defensive midfielder with 2 in front of him, but I don't feel that is as necessary.
After factoring in that only one goal has been created from the middle of our half in the last 24 games, I think I can afford to give Børkeeiet a bit more freedom on the park, but still give him those defensive responsibilities through a ball-winning midfielder role. This will allow him to continue to break up play and then shift it into the path of Selnæs or Tagseth/Nypan to influence the front three.
With these tweaks and a very limited budget to spend, I won't be planning on recruiting for the senior team this window. Our policy is very much going to be sell to buy, and I am not in a position where I want to be losing my key players. As things stand, Reitan, Holm, and Broholm all have interested parties, but nothing concrete as of yet.
Under 19s
An area that requires major focus with the senior squad in mind.
It does seem a bit alarming that our U19s are fighting relegation whilst the senior side is chasing a top 3 finish, but such is youth football. The side seems to be defensively poor, but I know that we did inherit a youth team that needed a couple of youth intakes to bring it up to the 25-man squad and 2 players per position idea.
So what is the answer? Well with the U19s chasing safety, which is more than possible, I firmly believe they can stay up. But I was keen to get senior minutes into some of these players' legs.
Volden, Olse, Kojen and Santa Suárez are all touted to be good enough for Rosenborg 2 - who aren't playing any competitive football. I am toying with the idea of letting these four players leave on a loan deal till the end of the season, but it has to be for the right level of football. Volden, Olsen and Santa Suárez are all deemed to be operating at a second-division level, and Kojen is deemed to be a leading player at the same level. If we can get offers in from clubs around this level of football, then it could be worthwhile letting these four go on loan. Otherwise, they will remain at the U19 level to try and fight off relegation for our youth intake in February.
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5th June 2023
Life in Norway has been good to me so far. We are competing with Bodø/Glimt and ahead of Molde in the standings right now, but all that can change so quickly.
We were dumped out of the cup in the First Round which is incredibly frustrating - Holm missed an open goal from 6 yards before Selnæs saw a penalty crash off the post and a second saved by the keeper. We did pull one back in the 91st minute, but the damage had been done. We were expected to make the quarter-finals of the cup.
I spoke about wanting to play on the front foot and in the opposition's faces. I wanted to ensure that we played attacking football, controlling the space on the pitch and retaining possession. But is that philosophy carrying onto the pitch in our games?
We are dominating the charts for the most passes in the final third and one of the least amount against in our own final third, which can still be brought down to match the level set by Bodø/Glimt. Since changing to 2 central defender roles and dropping the defensive line back one, we are retaining the ball more efficiently.
Our team performance polygraphs are all pointing in a positive direction compared to the division average, which to me is a sigh of relief. We are creating an ample amount of opportunities each game but with a low xG percentage.
I put this down to not having my best players available from the start of the season. Holm has recently returned from injury, but further injuries have meant he has been playing as our number 9 instead of coming off the left-hand side. Since his return from injury, he has returned 5 goals and 1 assist.
I find it alarming that our best player has only converted 20% of his shots, and with the return of Sæter imminent, I am hoping we can finally rely on a proper striker.
Staff Meeting
Natanael Knutsen - Manager
Jordi Gonzalez - Assistant Manager
Alexander Tettey - First-team Coach
Sami Hyypiä - First-team Coach
Ebbe Sand - First-team Coach
Tor-Kristian Karlsen - Director of Football
Sebastian Arnesen - Chief Scout
Erik Selnæs - Performance Analyst
Christer Basma - Head of Youth Development
Svein Maalen - Technical Director
Coaching - Individual Focuses
This is a straightforward area for the coaching team to discuss. All four coaches agree that Rasmus Sandberg & Adrian Pereira require an additional focus to improve. Sandberg should be working on his agility & balance, whilst the chaps agree that Pereira needs to work on his marking, decisions and positioning.
Outcome - Training focuses implemented for both players - review next quarter.
Previous focuses
At the last meeting, it was agreed that Nelson, Frederiksen and Þovarldsson had areas to work on. From a quick review of these three players, it is the belief that Nelson has made some improvement towards his off-the-ball ability and anticipation. His decision-making has not changed; for better or for worse. Frederiksen needed to work on his agility and balance, and like Nelson, made small levels of improvement in this area of his game. Þovarldsson was the final player with a focus implemented and was working with Nelson to work on his attacking movement. Unfortunately, only his decision-making seems to have improved.
Review Decision - Continue current focuses.
Recruitment - Contract Offers & Loan List
Young Fridtjoh Killi Olsen has bagged himself 3 goals and 3 assists in 10 games for the U19s and is training extremely well. Currently on a youth contract, and Karlsen believes we should be looking to secure his future with the club by signing a professional contract.
Outcome - Schedule talks over a new deal.
Karlsen believes that we should be looking to make Mikkel Ceïde and José Fernando Santa Suárez available for loan. Ceïde is around the senior squad and has made 3 substitute appearances so far. However, since Tagseth's return from injury, minutes have been limited for the young Norwegian.
Santa Suárez, on the other hand, has been ever-present for the U19s and has 5 goals to his name so far this season. Still learning his trade, and a loan move could be beneficial for him at this stage, but the window does not open again until August.
Outcome - Consider loan deals for both players. Suárez may find it difficult to find a loan club, so he could well remain in the U19s for the season.
Staffing - Coaching, Recruitment and Medical Teams
Maalen was back with a whole host of opinions concerning the backroom departments. First on his agenda was the coaching team.
After a recruitment drive that saw Hyypiä and Sand join the club, we put the foundations down for building a strong coaching team. We still have one position to fill, and Maalen believes our goalkeepers should benefit from this vacancy. His recommendation is Richard Richardsson, who played mostly in Sweden's first division.
He also holds the opinion that we should look to recruit Nicklas Möller as a performance analyst to take some of the burden off the current 2 members of staff. However, I don't feel that this is an area of priority for now given our small squad and regular review.
Outcome - Approach Richardsson.
Given our current injury crisis, Maalen believes it would be logical to hire another physio to aid player rehabilitation. We currently have a head physio and physio, so I am keen to bring in another member for the team.
Maalen strongly believes Allgulander should be approached, with Sandberg not too far off the pecking order.
Outcome - Approach both men and determine which one is going to be more cost-effective for the club.
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Moving Ganago on for that amount of money (especially with the bulk being upfront!) is massive for you. Some seriously smart transfers in as well, Le Fée is an absolute steal, along with Munetsi.
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Pre-Season Analysis
With all 6 games of pre-season now played, it's time to review the last 2.5 weeks and review how the formation is looking, how players are settling with their roles and the overall performance.
Played 6 - Won 5 Drew 1
A good record to come out of pre-season with, but we were playing against weaker opposition. We started with a tour in Spain where we played Villaralbo, Bembibre and Socuéllamos - all semi-professional outfits. My previous post dives into the Villaralbo game, so I won't be covering that game in this analysis.
Bembibre 2 Rosenborg 4
For the second game running, it took an opposition goal to get us going, and it was a late show. The starting 11 was predominately the team that ended the game against Villaralbo, with 11 substitutes being made around the 55th minute. From this short stint, I could tell that my first 11 is absolutely the strongest team at this moment in time, with injured players still to make a comeback. By the 55th minute we had generated a total xG of 0.34; the second team generated 1.90 inside the remaining 35 minutes.
Bembibre's first goal came from dealing with a corner poorly. They had a shot blocked, but we were too slow on the follow-up and Castagne was able to pick up a pass and rifle home the opener. The second goal is truly criminal, and it was the start of a common problem.
Whilst I believe this was the start of a common problem, there is another issue that I clocked in this phase and it is the ability to start and maintain this passage of play. We need to be a lot more aggressive in the press. Regardless, being able to play a ball right over the top of our defence is inexcusable, and changes are in the offing.
Our quality of passing play deteriorated with each goal, but I am still delighted we can get shots off on goal even when under pressure.
Socuéllamos 1 Rosenborg 1
In another game, we fell behind first and came away with a poor result as far as I am concerned, regardless of the chances created. We peppered our Spanish opposition's goal with 19 shots, but only managed 7 on target generating a total xG of 1.78. On a law of averages, we would have won this game had it been played a day earlier or later, but relying on what could have been, is not how I want to approach this save.
I am a huge fan of how quickly we can penetrate an opposition's defence with so few passes.
Rosenborg 4 HamKam 1
Whilst it's starting to become alarming, I am pleased with our ability to turn the game around after falling behind and win rather comfortably. A 4-1 probably flattered us from an xG sense, we narrowly won that battle 2.54 to 2.05.
HamKam took the lead with this passage of play, and yet again, the fact their CB can pick out a CM with such ease, and the wide man to play a one-in-a-million diagonal is worrying.
We levelled the game with a very fortunate own goal, HamKam's defender tried to block a cross which ended up in the back of the net. Not long later, we edged in front with a well-delivered corner, before crafting open the two goals above. A much better showing for the side, especially against a team we will be playing against this season.
Ranheim 1 Rosenborg 4
Finally, a game where we took the lead for a change, but I still feel as though it was a very cheap goal to give away. Pereira dealt with a corner at the near post, but we were passengers in getting out of our own box and Ranheim managed to squeeze a shot through the bodies.
Broholm showed why he is an exciting talent with a double, and his goals were of good quality. Børkeeiet bundled home the third goal after their GK spilt the ball from claiming a corner. Frederiksen claimed the goal of the game with a great team goal.
From 19 shots - 10 on target - we generated an xG of 1.90. A bit alarming.
Rosenborg 3 Sarpsborg 2
A much better first-half display. Appalling second-half performance, but we managed to find something to take home the win. Our xG was 3.77 in this win, thanks to a missed penalty, where our opponents generated an xG of 1.27.
I can't say I'm surprised at this point, and if I let this continue, I'd be signing my death wish.
Thankfully, we were able to snatch the win at the end of the day, but it has been an eye-opener as to how I want to approach the season.
Tactical Tweaks
From the above 5 games, we lost 4 goals which involved a long ball. Breaking these down further:
Bembibre - 62 long passes attempted - 23 successful. 230 passes made, 10% long passes.
Socuéllamos - 53 long passes attempted - 18 successful. 232 passes made, 7.75% long passes.
HamKam - 49 long passes attempted - 25 successful. 251 passes made, 9.96% long passes.
Ranheim - 39 long passes attempted - 14 successful. 233 passes made, 6% long passes.
Sarpsborg - 54 long passes attempted - 12 successful. 171 passes made, 7% long passes.
We are being targeted due to our play style of pressing high and staying high. A great deal of long passes are not successful, but I would rather take action now and avoid being picked apart by a bigger and better team in the shape of Molde and Bodø/Glimt.
With that in mind, I have elected to bring back the defensive line a notch, remaining high just not as advanced as pre-season. Jenssen has had his role changed to CD(D), as I felt in a more risky role like the BPD, he was advancing beyond my Anchor and I was not comfortable with how short it was leaving us at the back.
Sadiku
The young Finish striker grabbed 3 goals over the 6 games in pre-season, which I am delighted about given his lack of experience. He had been playing in a PF(A) role, but for some reason or another, he was not as advanced as I would have liked. A lot of his average positions throughout pre-season were around where a number 10 would be placed, and I need someone right on the two CBs to stop them from playing out and easily beating the press with a long ball.
I think if I were to bring him back into the game as an Advanced Forward, it would give him that licence to be more aggressive in the press. I've not had a lot of joy with a pressing forward role this year, I sometimes think it is better suited in a dual-striker formation. Let's hope Sadiku can close down those margins a bit more to give the team a hand.
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Pre-season Friendly #1
We kickstart our pre-season with a straightforward win over semi-pro Spanish outfit Villaralbo. Only 2 players that started played for the full 90 minutes, and will be factored into the team selection for the next friendly against Atlético Bembibre.
Villaralbo Goal '14 - 1-0
Not too happy with our shape in this goal. Jennsen stepping up and beyond the midfield to put pressure on the eventual goalscorer immediately causes problems for Pereira on the left as he cannot put pressure on the ball. If he goes, the striker is free, if he doesn't go, Manero has the luxury of getting his head up to create a chance.
Pereira eventually goes to the ball, leaving Børkeeiet (anchor) to plug the gap. Jenssen has to closely follow his man but doesn't.
Abel expertly finishes the chance off.
Þovarldsson Goal '20 - 1-1
Thankfully, we weren't behind for long.
Happy with our shape at the start of this attack for several reasons. Both FBs are in advanced positions, forcing the opposition back and limiting their ability to counter-attack should we turn over the ball cheaply. Børkeeiet has tucked in to form the basis of a back three, giving us security. Broholm's position causes problems for the Spanish side: wedged between two midfielders means the one behind cannot commit to him due to the advanced position of Reitan and Frederiksen knows he has room to utilise if the situation pans out that way. Crucially, Sadiku coming closer to the ball opens up the space in behind.
The decision-making of passes could be questioned, but I am happy that the players recognised where the space is and what could hurt the opposition. Þovarldsson knows that he can move into the small space in front of him and shape his body for the return pass and shot on goal.
Børkeeiet Goal '35 - 1-2
Created by himself, the role of the anchor is wonderful in the wide positions as Børkeeiet goes and wins the ball in a 2v1 situation and creates the turnover from nothing. He has the space to drive into, and Þovarldsson has positioned himself in a position where the opposing right-back does not know what to do. Their RCM is occupied with the presence of Selnæs.
He then finds Reitan perfectly out wide who can drive forward with the ball, as Børkeeiet doesn't stop there and moves centrally into the gap created. Frederiksen plays this situation well, knowing with his back to goal he is limited in what he can do, finds Børkeeiet once again, who is fortunate to shoot from a distance and beat the keeper for power.
Frederiksen Goal '40 - 1-3
The goal I am most delighted about. A huge pet peeve of mine is witnessing any side's wingers not being present in the box for crosses. Selnæs finds a yard for the cross, and our entire front line is in the box waiting to either attack or position themselves for a rebound. The cross in this instance goes deep, Frederiksen wants the ball more and gets above his marker to nod home a third, but Sadiku moves into the 6-yard box for any potential spills and Þovarldsson moves closer to the far post.
We completed 321 passes throughout the match, and only 10 passes were intercepted. With time, I want to ensure that intercepted passes are not coming from within our half, and in this instance, our CBs need to look to get the ball out wide more often or are certain that they can play through the opposing press and their midfield.
Our shot map is also promising at this stage as we are looking to create overloads and gaps in the opposition defence and midfield. 16 shots within the box, with only 6 coming outside the area suggests that we are capable of making a team defend deep, but we know that we can pop the ball back out the box for a chance on goal due to the lack of pressures from the above screenshots.
We cannot get ahead of ourselves though, as this level of opposition is lower than the standard we will be coming up against in the Eliteserien all season. A good performance, with areas to review over the coming friendlies to be in a better position for the league campaign.
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13th March 2023 - Monthly Staff Meeting
Ahead of the season starting, it's the first monthly staff meeting. Now this is a feature within FM that I skip by, and perhaps cast an eye over the information and tweak it occasionally. For this save, I want to pay attention to the recommendations and points brought forward, consider the impacts these recommendations could have and either implement the considerations or approach with a new idea. This may be an infrequent post, as I doubt very much there will be massive changes each month, so I may hone in on repeating this style every quarter.Side note - I have returned to Mustermann Iconic for this save, so the attribute scorings below were typed before the screenshots were created.
Members present
Natanael Knutsen - Manager
Jordi Gonzalez - Assistant Manager
Alexander Tettey - First-team Coach
Christer Basma - Head of Youth Development
Svein Maalen - Technical DirectorVice-Captain
Currently, there is a vacant role within the team, as Markus Henriksen is looking for a deputy to help out this season. With leadership and teamwork attribute ratings of 15 and a professional personality, it is clear to see why he is the current armband holder. Both Gonzalez and Tettey recommend promoting Erland Dahl Reitan to vice-captain. The 25-year-old defender is rated 13 & 15 in leadership and teamwork but boasts a perfectionist personality. He has a total of 217 appearances between Rosenborg and Bodø/Glimt and therefore is aware of the demands of a big club. Whilst Reitan is a fantastic candidate, it would be foolish not to look through the team where one more player stands out to me: Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen.
Whilst the 26-year-old only has 179 appearances to his name, he does have the experience of being on the books at Lyon; a massive club. His downside is a 13 rating for leadership and teamwork but does have a professional personality.Reitan is seen as a team-leader, along with Henriksen. Jenssen is classed as an influential player. Factoring this in, it is clear who my vice-captain should be.
Outcome - Reitan as vice-captain, Jenssen as standby.
Players - Training & Traits
Gonzalez and Tettey both believe that three players could benefit from an individual training programme, and two from trait alterations. I tend to focus on these programmes in the middle of pre-season so that the players can focus on getting their fitness levels up, but it is good to get an idea of what the staff think could be worthwhile instead of just me looking at progression within a specific role. The beauty of the player trait is that both members of staff have different ideas concerning the players, and it is time to weigh up these suggestions.
Jayden Nelson
At the time of reviewing the squad, I did not mention the young Canadian. When drilling into what he is and isn't good at, I didn't see a role suitable for him within the starting 11. His tendency to cut in from the right onto a very weak left foot leaves me questioning, but perhaps with some time and work, we can fashion him into an inside forward on the left. Both members of staff believe his ability in the final third is lacking - particularly his off-the-ball movement (11), decision-making (8) and anticipation (9). Gonzalez would like to get Nelson training his weak left foot and I agree with the notion. However, as I am more likely to utilise him on the left to come in on his right foot, I don't feel it necessary at this moment in time.
Outcome - Attacking movement training focus implemented - progress to be reviewed by next quarter.
Emil Frederiksen
The second winger to be selected for scrutiny. The Danish winger still has a lot to learn but is a bit further in his development compared to Nelson. The staff have identified parts of his physical game to be the weak area and I am confident we can see improvements in this by next quarter. As I am deploying Frederiksen as an inside forward, I am expecting him to be able to ride a challenge and dart past opposing defenders - but with agility and balance scored 11 and 12 respectively, I feel he will struggle.
Gonzalez believes that the team and Frederiksen will benefit massively from him cutting in on his left foot off the right. Tettey believes that Frederiksen should be shifting the ball onto his left before starting a dribble. Both are fundamentals to the inside forward position, but for the team, I have elected to go with Gonzalez's recommendation of cutting in on his left foot.
Outcome - Agility and balance training focus implemented - progress to be reviewed by next quarter. Player trait to be watched over the next 2 months.
Ísak Snær Þovarldsson
Our Icelandic inside forward. At the age of 21, he still has to learn his trade and I am hoping he can settle here and do just that - we are his 7th club in a very short career. Like Nelson, my staff feel that his weakness lies in off-the-ball movement (11), anticipation (11) and decision-making (10), and I agree that we should look to work on his final third game to get the best out of him. Like Gonzalez, he believes that Ísak should be cutting in on his favoured right foot from the left; Tettey believes killer balls should be honed in on. With vision scored 14 and passing 12, I am inclined to go with Gonzalez once again, as I want my wide-men supporting our lone striker in the goals department.
Outcome - Attacking movement training focus implemented - progress to be reviewed by next quarter. Player trait to be watched over the next 2 months.
Development - Player Happiness, Integration
Gonzalez has brought forward a potential issue with young Paweł Chrupałła following his demotion to the 2nd team. I shouldn't need to worry too much about his unhappiness spreading around the club: he isn't deemed to be an influential player (he falls under other players). For the sake of the team and training consistency, I will be looking to loan him out sooner rather than later - he believes he is more than capable of being in the first team, well go out and show me the capability.
With money in the bank, £4.4M, the ability to focus on squad integration is crucial. As things stand, Nelson, Þovarldsson and Väänänen all cannot speak a word of Norwegian and have the opportunity to go on a language course. This will cost the club a total of £36,500 to do so, and that is something I feel we cannot ignore.
Staffing - Coaching Team Vacancies, Recruitment Team Vacancies & Medical Team Vacancies
Svien Maalen's area of expertise, the staffing departments. From here, this is how I will base any potential staff recruitments, or take note of potential replacements that can benefit the club.
His first port of call was to recommend Marius Røvde as a potential goalkeeper coach. He is semi-experienced from his 8-year playing career, whilst spending 9 years in North America as a coach. My issue is that we have 3 positions available, and that would mean either getting rid of former player Alexander Lund Hansen as our goalkeeper coach or sacrificing a coaching position.
Maalen also believes it would make sense to promote Peder Lindsetmo from Rosenborg 2 to the senior squad. Lindsetmo is a fitness coach and is more knowledgeable than our current coach Vetle Veirød but does not possess the same level of discipline skills.
Outcome - Stick with Lund Hansen. Being a former player, it feels right to keep him and his fairly loyal personality around the squad. Røvde is not a massive upgrade either. Stick with Veirød as our fitness coach. Terminate Lindsetmo's contract and save the £950 per week in wages - we don't have enough players in Rosenborg 2 to justify a backroom team.
Sebastian Arnesen is a free agent and comes with a great CV behind him: 5 years as a scout for Chelsea, 1 year as a scout for Hamburger SV and 8 years as a scout for Manchester City. Maalen believes we are capable of landing Arnesen as our chief scout, but he could be costly in wages. His preferred formation matches my own tactical identity, which would be a bonus when picking out players for the first team.
Tor-Kristian Karlsen is also another free agent following 2 years with Start as their DoF. We do have a DoF in place, Mikael Dorsin, but it could be massive to bring Karlsen's experience and knowledge to the side and allow him the opportunity to work closely with the recruitment team and agents. Like Arnesen, his wages could prove to be a stumbling block, but it is worth discussing to see what deal can be struck.
Outcome - Schedule talks with both men concerning the vacancies over the chief scout and DoF roles.
Maalen brought the last of his recommendations to the table and this time was focusing on the medical team. We aren't strong in this area, but we aren't weak - 2 physios, a chief doctor and a sports scientist are on the books. Maalen recommends moving Arve Kjønes up into the head physio role and looking to recruit Jonathan Bar-Yaacov from Fremad Amager as our head sports scientist. He also recommends free agent Max Grahn as a sports scientist to replace our current option - Ulrik Wisløff.
Outcome - Given that we can always advertise the missing roles, I agree with Maalen's recommendations in both roles. Talks are to be scheduled with both. Ulrik Wisløff will remain in his role as we pass on Grahn.
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2 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said:
I always recruit via job advert, I know the staff search option will likely bring back a better talent pool, but to me it just doesn't feel right!
Madness!
Agreed!
I think the staff search option needs a bit of a revamp personally. I tend to find "realistic" targets unrealistic due to their large wage demands. Coupled with the fact that no club in the world would recruit in this manner - only unless it is a former employee and they want to bring them back then they may send out any indication!
I also like the idea of going off your own staff's recommendations on areas - they will be looking out for either friends or know of someone of quality who will boost the club's staffing department.
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Chapter 3 - Building the Future: Squad Review and Recruitment Strategy
After jotting down my formation ideas, and how I would like to set the team up for the foreseeable future, it was time that I got to the all-important part: squad review. During this review, I had to consider club culture #5 placed upon myself – youth players are given a chance in the senior squad when deserving of a chance. For now, our brightest youth prospects are still a year or two away from consistently knocking on the door, but I will still touch on a couple of players I think could be vital to the team in years to come.
I’m hopeful that my below review will highlight the thought process behind the different areas of the pitch, and where likely future chances are going to be available for candidates.
I touched on that I want both the senior and U19 squads to have 25 players; 2 players for every position allowing for 3 versatile players to provide additional cover in case of a crisis. What I have noted at the early stages of a review, is that our senior squad is filled with many versatile players, and the only way I will be able to properly sort out my 25-man squad for the first season, is through Football Manager’s squad planner.
Goalkeepers
I am quite happy with this department, as we have 2 goalkeepers for both squads. In this instance, I won't be looking to recruit in this area, as I will be looking to use Henrik Jamne as the U19 number 1 initially, but he will be the 2nd backup for the senior squad if an injury crisis breaks out.
Our two options for the number 1 are very similar, but in my eyes, it is going to be Rasmus Sandberg who will claim the position as his own for the opening of the season. Tangvik is a brilliant number 2 to have behind him, so we are settled here for the short-term future.
Defenders
A lot of options available to me throughout this area of the park, and a lot of experience too.
Markus Henriksen is one of the veterans in the team and is a key part of the team given his ability to play in the heart of defence and midfielder. He will be lining up on the right of the central two to provide experience to the younger players in and around him. Partnering with Henriksen will be Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen, who is our natural left-footed central defender. The two roles may swap round in due course, but I have confidence in our experienced 2.
Jonathan Augustinsson amassed 77 games for Djurgårdens IF over 5 seasons and would be crucial down the left-hand side of the pitch. However, he is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury - a big loss. Stepping into his shoes on the left will be Adrian Pereira, a 23-year-old Norweigan wing-back and he is more than capable of grabbing a handful of assists throughout the season.
Completing the back line is Erlend Dahl Reitan, as he secures the right wing-back berth. Hard-working and aggressive, he fits within the mould of a side looking to dominate their opponents. His preference to get forward whenever possible is a huge advantage, as we should be able to overload the wide areas of the park.
Youth to Consider
Paweł Chrupałła - The Polish youngster is on the fringes of the senior squad, but my problem is the lack of natural position. He is capable of playing within the front three, or anywhere on the left, but he lacks the striker prowess required or the defensive capabilities. I will be looking to loan out Paweł for the season and review his performances in a position after this - he could be a great squad player to keep around, but I suspect he will not be delighted at that notion.
Håkon Singsdal Volden - Tipped to be a lot better than Markus Henriksen, I am excited about the potential within Volden. His lack of passing ability would suit him more towards the central defender role within our system, but he does look mentally strong at the age of 16. He does have interest from Ranheim, First Division side, which could prove to be a great opportunity for him to develop. If this does not come to anything, depending on his form for the U19s, we may look to invite him to be a part of the senior squad from time to time.
Midfielders
A lot of players to consider here, but I have my idea of the midfield three.
Tobias Børkeeiet will be at the base of the midfield three and providing that additional anchor cover to his two CBs when we go forward. He secured a move to Danish giants Brøndby from Stabæk, so has the experience and knowledge of playing in the Eliteserien.
Our second most experienced individual at the club, Ole Kristian Selnæs will become the box-to-box midfielder for the club. Ole made his breakthrough at the club when he was just 18, he got a big-money move to Saint Etienne before heading out to China. A quality player to have around the club, I hope we can keep him for the rest of his prime!
Finally, and the one I have been excited for since deciding on Rosenborg as my final save of the game cycle. Sverre Halseth Nypan. The 16-year-old has bags of potential, and I hope that I can help him channel it in the right manner. Nypan has featured for Rosenborg as a striker, but I will be looking to deploy him as the roaming play-maker in the side and let him be the creative force for the front three. Our biggest task? Ensuring we can fend off European interest during the summer months!
Youth to Consider
Isak Jønvik Holmen - The 15-year-old is touted to be one of the best prospects within the U19s and it is clear to see why. My issue with him is lacking ability with dribbling, but with time on his side, I could easily see him as a future roaming playmaker. Senior football may be extremely rare to him this season, but with the right mentoring and training, Rosenborg fans may just see him next season.
Tobias Dahl - I think there could be a talent here. The issue is that he is more and more of a deep-lying playmaker than an anchor, box-to-box or a roaming playmaker. Rosenborg needs a turn in fortunes when Dahl's development is the subject of conversation, or a level of agreeableness to learn a new role within the team - I suspect this will not be as easily attainable given his low determination. A shame.
Attackers
And perhaps our weakest area currently.
Noah Jean Holm is injured until the start of April; by then he would have missed a pre-season and will take a few weeks to get up to speed with the rest of the squad. I have estimated a return to peak fitness for the team by May, provided there are no setbacks along the way. Ole Sæter is out right until June, so Rosenborg won't be seeing him until late July or early August providing his recovery has no hiccups. I am hopeful that he can return to full fitness and return some crucial goals towards the business end of the season.
In the meantime, Rosenborg will look to Ísak Snær Þovarldsson to fill the void on the left, and a mixture of Marius Broholm and Emil Frederiksen on the right. Both positions are inside forwards, and Holm's absence is certainly felt on the right. Frederiksen is not keen on big matches, so there will be a natural rotation between him and Broholm depending on the opposition at hand.
Spearheading the attack, I am putting all my hopes and dreams into Finnish striker Agon Sadiku. After realising my striker problem, Sadiku was promoted to the senior side to help out whilst we await Sæter's return. Big shoes to fill for a young boy, but I am confident that he can return a good ratio in the opening months of the season.
Youth to Consider
José Fernando Santa Suárez - The 15-year-old knows his way to his goal but has a lot of areas to work on first and foremost if he wants to go far in his professional career. His inability to work within a team is not going to work in his favour, and this is something I need to work with the staff to improve as soon as possible.
Magnus Holte has very similar cons as Suárez, we need to work on his mental side of the game and hope that it improves quickly. A great talent to have around the club, but a long way to go.
Sadly, both strikers are a long way away from senior football, but I have confidence that we can get them into a position where they could feature next season.
Senior Squad - Final Squad Plan
We are certainly light in the centre of defence and for our roaming playmaker - we do have options we could move about to get by, but I'm not satisfied. This stresses the importance of the youth prospects improving massively in the next 12 months to avoid repetition of this problem further down the line.
For now? The creation of recruitment focuses to try and plug some leaks.
Recruitment
Club culture #4 touched upon recruiting players aged between 15-17 from Norwegian clubs. This is a massive recruitment area for the club, as Rosenborg have always been known as a club that will bring through youth talent, and they will eventually get their big move to Europe - if not through Rosenborg, through one of the other Norwegian clubs that eventually pick up on those that don't nail down a place in the senior side.
I hold out on hopes that these current settings will return ample results for me to filter out anyone I deem not Rosenborg quality, or even profitable. We are focusing our scouts on the top division, first division and the Norwegian Cup to ensure we have the pick of the bunch.
Not so much a club culture as such, but I wanted to implement a signing policy for former Rosenborg players. Back in the 90s, Rosenborg tended to let go of players to other clubs and then would sign them back up. A prime example of this would have been Brattbakk. He signed for Bodø/Glimt after complaining about first-team opportunities, after a season where Bodø/Glimt ran Rosenborg close, he was signed back and was let loose on the league - scoring 30 in 33 appearances in all competitions.
This recruitment focus may filter through younger players who recently were let go or return players that I elected to let go as I couldn't see a development path for them. I am hopeful in my abilities that we avoid the latter, but one or two may slip through the cracks.that
It would be great to find my own Brattbakk from those who left the club before my arrival.
One of my club objectives was to field a team of players from Trondheim in the Champions League. To replicate this, I have to manually filter these players from the players in range section, and then I will be able to add them to a new shortlist created. In this instance, I am casting a wider net in filtering those within the Trøndelag region - which contains 10 towns and cities.
With the two recruitment focuses in place, along with my manual searches for the region, I feel we have ample opportunities and options available to us to strengthen the squad for the short and long term.
Therein lies the initial problem: we only have one scout. Now the easy approach would be to cherry-pick my staff, but I don't believe that would be left to a manager in real life. The decision to recruit someone for a particular position in the backroom staff would come through adverts or recommendations from my technical director, and that is exactly how I plan on recruiting my staff.
I believe that the best feeling of unity comes from within, and I will ensure that when a staff position opens up, staff from the U19s are in for consideration.
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A fantastic first season at the helm! Very close game against Marseille in the final, but it looks as though you dominated the game in the important moments of the 90 to edge that victory - congratulations!
Just a cool £227M to sign Ayew, that’s just a dip into your pocket
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23 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:
The problem with delegation. Aug 2023.
I like Colwill as a player, but 6 years? He will likely play for 25+ managers in his Chelsea career now!
Statement of the month
Excited to see this go one of two ways - hopefully not in the shape of a pear!
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An interesting take on a mental challenge! Wish you all the best for this journey and excited to follow Yeggo Foot for the time being
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13 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said:
Lovely opening posts, youth and Scandinavia, a great combination. Looking forward to seeing how things pan out.
Thank you for the kind words! Been sitting on the idea of a Rosenborg save for a long time, These Football Times done a brilliant article on them in 2019 and it just felt right with how I have approached FM24.
13 hours ago, keeper#1 said:I toyed with doing something similar earlier in this FM cycle. It was a lot fun. Good luck and I'll be following along.
I vaguely recall reading your post at the start of the year, I will need to freshen my mind on it to see how different we view the squad etc! An initial look at the squad is promising, I’m just hoping that the tactical tweaks can shoot Rosenborg up into the top spots instead of lingering further down the pecking order!
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The domination over Rennes! Worthy payback in the end, they were very fortunate not to walk away with a more empathic defeat.
Interesting to see Mohamed being deployed as an AF, but still showing his Target Forward presence - something I had never thought to consider or look into before, but it has me intrigued now!
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Chapter 2 - Club Cultures and Formations
Welcome back to another post from Trondheim, Norway. In my previous post, I introduced you to my latest save with Rosenborg BK, and how I want to engineer the club to return them to their former glory.
Before I get to work on reshaping the current squad, I feel it is important to discuss the cultures in bold below:
Club Culture #1 – Ensure that the squad personality is determined.
Club Culture #2 – Rebuild a 4-3-3 formation and ensure attacking and exciting football; much like Rosenborg during the 90s.
Club Culture #3 – Build a defensively sound 4-5-1 formation for the European games where we are expected to be underdogs
Club Culture #4 – Recruit players between 15 & 17 for first-team development.
Club Culture #5 – Ensure that youth players are given a chance to perform for the first team when they are deserving of it.
I did note that some cultures may be tweaked in due course; other cultures may be introduced. Cultures 4 & 5 will be discussed in chapter 3, as I review the squad’s ability as a whole, and identify plans for the current crop of players.
Achieving an overall determined squad personality is fairly simple – I need to ensure that players brought into the club have a positive personality to benefit the club. At the start of the save, my senior squad is 25 strong and, thanks to SaS24 skin, averages out to be a professional bunch.
My assistant, Jordi Gonzalez, also notes that the squad possess high levels of technique, strength, balance, determination and concentration. All key factors in churning out a winning mentality.
But what of those players who are already at the club who lack this positive personality?
The personalities within our Senior, Rosenborg 2 and U19 squads.
Thankfully, I don’t need to worry too much as all three squads – Senior, Rosenborg 2 and U19s – contain none. I have been relying on FM Inside’s article on personalities to determine what is and isn’t a negative personality.
But what does alarm me, is the number of players outside my senior squad.
After reviewing Rosenborg 2, I am aware that there is a lot of work to be done for senior squad support – essentially, it is an U21 squad, but filled with U19 players. The next alarming thing is that there are not enough players for positions. We lack central midfielders whilst being very top-heavy in the striking department.
Our U19 situation is even more dire. The best thing I can do in this situation is to move the players who can play for the U19s back into this squad as they have National U19 Championship games scheduled. Rosenborg 2 compete in the Third Division, but at the time of writing, there are no fixtures planned for them.
Should this remain the case, then any player who is 19 or older and not ready for first-team opportunities at Lerkendal, will remain in Rosenborg 2. I will make this “squad” a feeder club, which in turn points back to Eggen’s thought process of youth developing in a first-team situation instead of playing football at a lower level.
For the senior and U19 squad, I will be targeting a total of 25 players in each squad. This will allow me the idea of 2 players per position, and 3 additional players that will be more versatile and cover around the park.
My senior squad is just about there, but I will be delving into the current crop in the next post.
The next culture I want to focus on is the structure of my teams. Rosenborg in the 90s were known for their attacking, dominating football, and that is something I want to replicate in this save.
Main Formation
The idea is to set up in an attacking manner so that we remain on the front foot throughout the 90 minutes. The team will set up fairly wide, with the two wing-backs looking to overlap down their respective side and deliver whipped crosses for the frontmen to attack. Passing is intended to be shorter, whilst we will dictate a slightly higher tempo to disrupt our opposition.
Continuing the trend of disruption, the team are instructed to counter-press with the goalkeeper given clear instructions to distribute quickly to his back-line. If we hunt in packs to win the ball back high up the park, then we should look to dominate the ball and our opposition. If our goalkeeper is getting the ball back into play promptly, then we aren’t allowing the other team to get set in their structure.
Finally, when we do lose the ball, I’m hopeful that our much higher defensive line will put our opponents under immediate pressure. Limiting the space to their half should suffocate the team, and our front line is playing under a high press, triggering it much more often and preventing short distribution to cause panic. Our team’s spine is the strongest point, and with the instruction of trapping inside, I’m hopeful that we can contain teams in the middle of the park.
Secondary Formation
Given the strength of Molde and Bodø/Glimt over recent years, I know that Rosenborg’s quality is not what it used to be. I can’t expect to walk over every single team in the league with one 4-3-3 variation, so I have something that will solidify the team a bit more, but still carry enough of a threat.
We will drop our mentality down to being balanced – something in between being defensively sound but sensing when to carry an attacking threat. We remain fairly wide but this is the only instruction I have when in possession of the ball; I don’t want our wing-backs to be caught out of possession every attack, so their supporting roles should keep them in check.
During the transition, I don’t want the side to go gung-ho in regaining the ball, but to play it smart and counter when the opportunity presents itself. I won’t budge away from building from the back, so the goalkeeper will be asked to distribute to the backline still, but there is no quick demand on this one.
Finally, when we are out of possession of the ball, the defensive line will drop back slightly to a higher line. This may create a bit of a gap between the attack and defence, but with our 3rd midfielder becoming a CM on support, he should be around to plug any gaps and give us the extra man in the middle of the park. We will still look to trigger the press more often and force our opposition inside.
European Formation
I briefly spoke about Rosenborg playing a 4-5-1 in Europe in my introductory post, and with that in mind, I have come up with the following:
This is one that I will need to tinker with, as I am not big on more defensive-minded formations. However, the idea is that in transition, the wingers get forward enough to turn this into a progressive 4-3-3, but they know they have a job on their hands to get back and help out.
Taking a more cautious approach, I have faith that our team has the quality in it to carve open chances and be a threat, but I am aware that European teams may have more quality throughout the side than ourselves. I want to keep our fairly wide approach to the attacking sense there, but when we do have the ball, I don’t want us to lose it so easily. A slightly lower tempo and shorter passing combo should see us retain the ball more frequently, but if the chance for an early cross is on, I want us to take it.
During transitions, we will look to regroup upon losing the ball, which then goes hand-in-hand with the counter instruction so that we can perhaps find gaps during these transitional battles.
Finally, when we are out of possession, I want to keep it simple for the players. Our front line will offer a mid-block to give a bit more security over the defence, but I do want our defence to play higher. My logic is that if we close the distance to the opposition goal, then we could hit on the break quickly and effectively.
This is going to be a massive work in progress, but it is something I think could be effective in European competition.
Next time out, I will dive more into the playing squad, along with specific individuals that I have high hopes for throughout this save. As well as this, I will look to design a pathway for our youth prospects into the senior team, whilst considering short and long-term plans for the current senior team.
I’m also doing a bit of homework on potential recruitment focuses at the time of writing, and I will lay out my findings and my plans for my scouting network.
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3 hours ago, warlock said:
Brilliant opening post
. Will follow with interest.
Thank you for the kind words! Excited to see where the save takes me, will be a tough slog!
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Yup. That’s right another, another revival attempt for the greatest Norwegian club of my lifetime. Been intrigued about this one for a while, particularly after finishing 9th last season and currently 10th after 9 games.Chapter 1 - Chasing Success Through Youth Prospects & New Club Cultures
AC Milan; Real Madrid; Feyenoord; Boavista; Borussia Dortmund. Just some of the clubs during the 90s that felt the wrath of a Northern opponent, and one that was a regular amongst Europe’s elite.
8 successive Group Stage appearances in the competition.
The first side to progress to the knockouts from their country.
This was all achieved from within a nation that was predominately a defensive-minded country. The 4-4-2 was the chosen formation in the early ’90s, but this club’s management ripped up that notion and elected to go with a 4-3-3 – putting firm belief in a solid backline capable of mounting a quick counter-attack.
Inspired by Rinus Michels’ philosophy of ‘Totaalvoetbal’, it took the club a couple of years to adapt to their newfound style – they won the inaugural league title, lost it the following season before mounting their impressive 13 consecutive titles, that has only been bettered by 2 sides in Europe since.
Ludogorets Razgard will be going into the 2024/25 season looking to leapfrog them to make it 3 sides.
With the club all pulling in the same direction, they battered their domestic competition week-in and week-out to claim 13 straight league titles from 1992 to 2004 before succumbing to their own downfall.
In 2004, they lost their first-team manager to the national side, and whilst his replacement did win the league on the final day, he was given his marching orders. In 2005, the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth” came true, as the new manager was overseen by a club legend.
Rosenborg BK had lost their grip on Norwegian football.
But what gave them the ability to tighten their grip year after year? They were financially backed by their main sponsor, which allowed Rosenborg to bring in a more professional team to heighten their commercial revenue reach.
Whilst money in the ’90s was nothing like the money today, the most genius decision was to recruit Nils Arne Eggen as manager for the 1988 season. A former player, captain and coach, Eggen had already won the side 4 trophies in two separate stints, he was not a stranger to the club and would have the facilities to kick on – they became a professional side in 1985.
Eggen was inspired by Michel’s philosophy, and the Dutchman even invited him to watch Ajax training sessions in the 70s to further enhance his knowledge of this new philosophy and how he could make this work in Trondheim.
Club Philosophy – Total Football and its Companion
It is hugely important to note that despite their success with Total Football within Norway, it was not always sunshine and rainbows when it came to the European stage. Heavy 5-0 defeats against KV Mechelen and Sampdoria in 1989 and 1991 respectively, brought a lot of media attention to Rosenborg.
The scrutiny Eggen was coming under for being so naive and expansive in Europe, led to changes being made and Rosenborg eventually set themselves up in a 4-5-1 when playing on the big stage. Performances and results improved with this change, but there was still a gulf between Rosenborg and their opponents.
Domestically, Rosenborg was a team that was dangerous through their transitional play; movement and passing. If you could control both of these factors, then you would control the pitch’s space and be able to dominate your opposition. A joyous form of football. This was Total Football.
But Total Football without any form of organisation would be complete chaos. And this is where Eggen shaped his playing staff meticulously to ensure dominance on the Norwegian front. Eggen introduced the theory of “The Best Foot”.
The theory is now applied in almost every walk of life, you just may not know of it in its purest form. The article ‘The Best Foot Theory – Reinforce Individual Core Skills to get the Best Team Result’ dives into what makes up the theory by demonstrating the difference between cooperation and collaboration.
The above graphic is what Eggen sought after each year when he was selecting his players. Individuality was not banished from the club, it was encouraged if it was deemed necessary within their playing role. But the emphasis was on that player’s ability to collaborate with his teammates. His ability to create opportunities for others to “perfectly do their job”.
The club was one during Eggen’s time. If there was a bad performance, the team was bad; if it was an exceptional performance, the team was exceptional. Eggen felt that if he continued to drive home the idea of playing to the team’s strengths every week, any weaknesses would not be relevant to the outcome of the game.
To implement this in Football Manager, I need to consider a couple of factors for each player:
- Teamwork
- Work Rate
- Personality
- Social Groups
From there, I then need to consider the player as a whole for each area of the park – this is something I will cover in the next post as I dive into the tactical structure of the side.
The Importance of Youth
It is important to understand the Norwegian counties, and why Rosenborg decided on a particular approach surrounding youth prospects.
Rosenborg are the only major club in the Trøndelag county, meaning that they have no competition when it comes to younger players to sign for their youth department. The closest competition? Kristiansund and Molde, 197 and 220 kilometres away respectively.
However, Rosenborg’s youth department was only in operation until 1992, the decision to close it down was made due to a high number of ‘poor’ prospects. It did not stop 9 Trondheim boys from knocking out AC Milan in the 1996 Champions League; a statistic that will be hard to replicate.
Eggen, during the 1990s, believed that the best form of youth development was through development at their home-based clubs. Coupled with UEFA home-grown rulings, Rosenborg began recruiting players between the ages of 15-17 to comply with the new rules, whilst also learning about Rosenborg and what it means to pull on the famous jersey.
Club Objective #1 – Review all youth squads and implement an appropriate structure.
Club Objective #2 – Replicate 9 local boys or more in a Champions League tie.
Club Objective #3 – Overtake Skonto and Lincoln Red Imps for the most consecutive league championships.
Club Objective #4 – Become the first Norwegian side to lift a European trophy.
Club Objective #5 – Become Club World Cup champions.
Club Culture #1 – Ensure that the squad personality is determined.
Club Culture #2 – Rebuild a 4-3-3 formation and ensure attacking and exciting football; much like Rosenborg during the 90s.
Club Culture #3 – Build a defensively sound 4-5-1 formation for the European games where we are expected to be underdogs
Club Culture #4 – Recruit players between 15 & 17 for first-team development.
Club Culture #5 – Ensure that youth players are given a chance to perform for the first team when they are deserving of it.
With time, I may look to adapt these cultures or adopt brand new ones.
With my culture in mind, and my short and long term objectives in place, now is the best time to get the save underway. This is going to be a marathon instead of a sprint, and it may take a couple of years to fully implement my vision for the future – perhaps this will be the second coming of Rosenborg like the late 80s?
7
. Will follow with interest.
[FM24] THE NANTES WAY
in FM Career Updates
Posted
I thought it may have been.
I was curious about your own goal given the league table standings as of now. It seems to be a straight shootout for the top four (judging by last season's table), and given your significantly better GD, I wasn't sure if the expectation had been ramped up.