SteinkelssonFM

You may well be pleased to know that I have fired the save back up and will be continuing from the 2027/28 season, I appreciate I need to provide a little update to remind you on the progress of the save. I will provide that in due course.

@jc577 thanks for taking the time to dd your 'Musings' very much appreciated. With the goal of achieving less passes in the opposition's final third, I wonder how big (or small) an impact removing counter-press would have? There will be times where you'll lose the ball high up the pitch, win it back, and start playing again from there. Could be something to consider. Whilst this is a valid point, along with the re-group option, I do enjoy having counter press selected. This I feel helps us to gain a little protection, placing a little pressure on the opponent, making it harder for them to counter, this is important as it gives time for our wing-backs and SV to get back in place. Also the initial tactic was my attempt of replicating Gary O'Neil's Wolves who currently have one of the highest (6) goal ending high turnovers. Very Fluid/Fluid team shapes could actually be working against your end-goal, as support duties are more associative and risk-adverse, which could be leading to more patient, probing football. Also, to my understanding, team shape is purely a visual aspect now and doesn't not work how it did in previous FM's (which is a big loss in my opinion.) You may have read that I am already exploring a 'flexible' or 'structured' team shape for season three, moving away from the 'fluid' pack. Removing Play Out of Defence could again decrease passes made in the final third, as you look to progress the ball quicker. Currently, I have this ticked off, and have instructed my GK to distribute to CB's, which seems to provide a nice medium. Interesting, something which is worthwhile exploring. @caco4003 not sure if you read the segment on Semedo (above), he has had this instruction applied, and actually ends up playing more passes (overall). Carrying out analytics on this, it is clear the increased volume in passes come in the progressive phase and not the final third. His deeper position (at times) make him an outlet for circulation. However, saying this both wing-backs have 'get further forward whenever possible' as a trait, which 100% is impacting their performances against the metrics. I have just defeated Inter (Pre-season) and our third goal was a beauty! 41% possession 42% ball share 69 final third passes vs 88

@caco4003 school boy error from me, I uploaded the wrong default tactic file, this has been changed to reflect the correct 'balanced' mentality game model. As for the move away from the Anchor, you are indeed correct, this has been done to ensure we keep a fluid structure.

As I immerse myself deeper into the intricacies of Football Manager 2024, this Wolves: The Renaissance save offers a canvas for tactical experimentation and strategic refinement. In this mid-season analysis of the 2024/25 campaign, I embark on a journey of tactical exploration and player evaluation, driven by the relentless pursuit of success, playing with a 'Projection' style of attacking football. With each adjustment to our approach, from defensive solidity to attacking ingenuity, I unravel the complex tapestry of football tactics, seeking the optimal formula for victory. Join me as we dissect match data, scrutinise player performances, and navigate the winding path towards footballing excellence. Once again we find ourselves significantly performing above our expected points position (8th), by securing an additional 10 points. Again, we have our defensive to thank, rather than our attacking ability. We find ourselves ranked 2nd in the Premier League with regards to goals conceded (15), one more than leaders Manchester City. Our only defeat has come on the road to West Ham, whilst all draws have come against sides in the top-half of he table, with the exception of Ipswich. Drawing a comparison against the mid-point from last season, we are currently 5 points worse off, having drawn seven more times, although last year we had already suffered four defeats, compared to just one this campaign. With regards to our form at both ends of the pitch we have scored two less goals this season, and have also conceded one less. The above findings will lead me to explore the changes which I made at the back end of last season, opting to play a more attacking mentality, which I will cover in the next section of the update. a comprehensive list of our results, and goal scorers can be viewed here. I have had a few requests from within the Football Manager community to share the tactic which I have been documenting in my Wolves: The Renaissance save. For those of you that aren't as submerged in the save as I am, above is the baseline 'balanced' mentality tactic, along with the 'attacking' mentality variation, used for first half of the 2024/25 campaign. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER AT MOLINEUX In a night etched with brilliance at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Wanderers scripted a fairy tale by dismantling Real Madrid with a resounding 4-1 victory. Against the backdrop of the iconic venue, Wolves delivered a performance that transcended expectations and captivated the footballing world. Closing the game with only 39% possession, Wolves demonstrated unwavering resolve and tactical prowess, showing just how effective this brand of attacking football can be. Wolves completed 64 final third passes, compared to Ream Madrid's 102, yet somehow had more shots on target, a greater xG, and more clear cut chances. As the final whistle echoed through the stadium, Molineux erupted in euphoria, as fans rejoiced in the glory of a historic triumph. It was more than just a football match; it was a night to remember, a celebration of resilience, skill, and the indomitable spirit of Wolverhampton Wanderers. A night which could shape the future of how attacking football is played across the globe. HEADLINE ANALYSIS This section will be used to explore if our change in mentality has helped Wolves to align more closely to the 'Projection' attacking style. I have taken data from the season one mid-point to compare with the season two mid-point, which will enable me to make an informed decision on what mentality to lock-in, before applying another variable to our game model. The above is a selection of visualisations which have been cherry picked from the 'team Performance' section of the Data Hub. Whilst there are a few marginal changes, the outputs are fairly similar. Defensive efficiency - opponents are taking more shots with attacking, but have a similar conversion rate. Attacking efficiency - we are taking more shots with an attacking mentality and have a better conversion rate. Defensive actions - 13% in opponents half (balanced), 14% with attacking. Possession gained - 19% in opponents half (balanced), 21% with attacking. Passes attempted - 16% in the final third for both. Possession lost - 37% in the final third for both. I wanted to take my analysis one stage further, comparing some statistics from within the team detailed tab within the game. Interestingly we hold the same percentage of possession under each mentality (52%) The balanced mentality is leading to an increase in shot quality, with the balanced mentality averaging 0.126 xG per shot, compared to 0.123 per shot (attacking). We are completing 4.8% more passes using an attacking mentality, likely to be associated with the increased tempo which this mentality brings. We have conceding 1.54 more xG across the 19 games playing with an attacking mentality. Most importantly we are making less final third passes playing balanced, and allowing the opponent to have more final third passes. For me, the last point makes the most noise, we are actually moving away from a 'projection' attacking style. This paired with the fact that we have both created more expected goals, and conceded less playing balanced, confirms that I will need to revert back to the base 'balanced' tactic and make further changes. Deep down, I know that our biggest Achilles heel with regards to achieving our goal is our team fluidity, having the players progress up the field as a collective is leading to more passing lanes, helping us to complete more passes in the attacking third. However, I have a soft spot for this pack like mentality, and will strive to achieve a 'projection' attacking brand with a fluid team, at minimum. For the final part of season two, I will make one simple change to our team instruction, to play with a low block line of engagement. The lower line of engagement instructs players to wait until the opposition come towards them before engaging them in a pressing game, by decreasing our line of engagement I am theoretically enabling our opponent to progress the ball further up the pitch without pressure. This hopefully will result in them increasing their volume of passes in our final third. I will also change our wide centre-back from a support duty, to defend. This will mean that the trio of defenders will have a defensive mentality, with the role still offering support in wide areas at times. However, less likely to overlap or underlap, again reducing a body in the final third. For those of you who have been following along with this thread/save, I am keen for you to throw a few of your suggestions my way, what would you do to help achieve the Holy Grail, and more importantly, why? PLAYER ANALYSIS In this section, I have opted to document how the tactical changes have impacted the outputs at player level. This will hopefully provide us all with an understanding of how changes to roles, team instructions, and player instructions, have on outputs within the match engine. João Gomes was switched from a ball winning midfielder to a more static role in that of the anchor. A role which doesn't venture too far from its position, rather than one which aims to win the ball back higher up the pitch. This is clearly visible in the change in expected assists metric, as the anchor role comes with hard coded player instructions of hold position, take fewer risks, and dribble less. Interestingly, the Brazilian is more effective defensively playing in a role which is on a defend duty, with him winning more possession, winning a greater volume of tackles, and headers. Rayan Aït-Nouri - despite no changes to the Algerian's role/player instructions, you can see from the below that his outputs were impacted. This stems from the above changes to João Gomes, as the Brazilian moved from a support role, to a more static one, offering less support to Rayan as play progressed. This is reflected on wing back progressing more passes, and conducting more dribbles, as the player has taken a greater responsibility to advance play. Interestingly, without a close supporting player centrally, Rayan has taken more shots, accumulating a higher xG, and scored more goals. Finally, looking into the outputs of Nélson Semedo who had the player instruction of cross from deeper added. The Portuguese wing-back's expected assists have exploded, along with him winning more tackles, likely to be due to staying a little deeper at times. It is also worth noting that bringing Saša Kalajdžić back into the team after his loan in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, has been another variant to this data. At 6'7, and possessing a jumping reach attribute of 18, and heading 16, certainly has added a new dynamic to our attack. RECRUITMENT I am enjoying the data driven recruitment approach to this save, in my opinion this approach, especially if exporting data manually, will lead to you finding a greater breadth, and depth of player, in your Football Manager saves. Leading you a little of the beaten track, and away from the frequent names which I am certain the AI regurgitates. Anyhow, todays subject is Craig Dawson, as an experienced member of the squad, with only a further one-year left on his contract (an additional year if 20 games are played), it is time to bring in a player who will be happy to initially share playing time with the veteran for what could well be his final year as a Wolves player. Exploring Craig's pizza chart from this current season, you can see that whilst playing a key role in our defensive trio, the 33 year old isn't exactly racking up any outstanding outputs. He is winning the majority of his aerial duels (75%), has a good pass completion (93%), and is effective at not losing the ball. Continuing the norm, the numbers are punched into the system, and we sit and watch our scouted players list deteriorate. The outputs with high recommendation values threw out a good mix of names. However, there were only a few players within this list that would be keen to sign without a starting role. Oh, and we were priced out of a move for the highest rated defender Alessandro Buongiorno, of Torino. Two really caught my eye, Oumar Solet,, and Adamo Nagalo. With both players good in the air, and tackle. Given I have already signed Nagalo, in my previous save with Ajax, I was always going o lean towards the Frenchman. Oumar Solet, also has delivered more progressive passes and has a higher blocks per 90 metric. This paired with the fact that the Austrian Bundesliga holds a higher reputation than the Danish Superliga, means that Oumar should make a more fluid transition to the Premier League. Along with Solet, there are two more players who have signed contracts with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Madi Monamay - the 19 year old was signed and immediately loaned out to Championship side QPR. He is an exciting young prospect who isn't too far from first team level. Therefore, the challenge of playing in such a fiercely competitive league will be great for his development. Pedro Malheiro - with Matt Doherty going into his final year of his Wolves contract, we needed to think of a contingency plan. Along came Pedro, the 24 year old's contract was expiring with Boavista, making him an attractive option, adding another Portuguese player to the ranks at the club. Thanks for taking the time to read todays update, if you've opt to download the tactics, please keep me posted on their effectiveness within your save, I am always keen to see how others find my work, and what sides you have trialled them with. The next update will be the 2024/25 season review, which I will start to work on now, and should hopefully be with you all very soon.

@Strikerir1

@caco4003 I made the conscious decision to avoid regroup, in my opinion this TI is too passive, and could result in us taking on a little too much pressure. I think if I did anything, I would simply leave this blank, enabling the players to do as they please within the ME, this is a tried and tested approach that worked well in my Ajax save as the counter press option left us vulnerable in transition, with players moving out of their shape to attempt a pressure. WIth this set up I have tried to negate that with a narrow width, making us more compact and improving the defensive efficiency, which is working well. Let's not forget, I am not trying to build a side which is happy to simply lie down and take it, we need to be competitive in the ME and we all know that will mean being aggressive somewhere. I just need to be in that top left quadrant, not the extreme end of it. @felley @rayvanmond thanks for dropping a comment, you will be pleased to know that I have just finished season 2 so need to get started on another update, one after my next one labelled Attack, Attack! Without giving too much away, we are making positive movements with regard to the ultimate goal.

Hopefully the next update should be with you all after the Easter break. I have some annual leave booked in to spend some time with the family, so will endeavour to get another post out.

@w_x he applied as a coach! The fact he was willing to even drop his expectations to that vacancy was beyond me! I just had to offer him the assistants role.

Todays update, is much more than a summary of the 2023/24 season, it is a comprehensive review of our alignment to the 'projection' brand of attacking football, the Holy Grail. Picking off from the last update from Wolves: The Renaissance series - Midpoint Musings todays post also includes a focus on a few key performers, along with a deep dive into team mentality, there is also a segment on recruitment, and a familiar face returns to the club. A massive team effort sealed Wolverhampton Wanderers a record finish in the Premier League. The historic points record set by Nuno Espírito Santo's 2019/20 team was trumped by 20 points, whilst we also broke records for both goals scored, and goals conceded. Not too bad for our first season! DROPPED POINTS The run of form (or lack of) which spanned across both February and March, played a significant role in our inability to secure a Top four finish. As you can see from the above, we only managed to secure 11 points, from the possible 24 on offer. What the results don't tell you on paper, the context. Was this a case of 13 points dropped, or was it in fact a determined side, which managed to salvage points, continuing the push for the Top Four. The above context helps to provide the narrative. Firstly, examining the expected goals, both for and against, we rightly suffered defeat against Liverpool, and the draws against Tottenham, and Brighton were fair results. However, we were fortunate to secure any points against both Manchester City and Arsenal who both dominated the expected goals battle, Arsenal scoring in the 89th minute, was actually more than a fair result. Finally, on another day we could have defeated Chelsea, the xG difference of 0.18, is a clear cut chance, which on another day could have made all the difference. The main differentiator between ourselves and fourth placed Tottenham, is that Ange Postecoglou's team drew less games. They also took more risk, which is reflected in both their goal difference (+53), compared to ours (+36) and goals scored, closing the season with 27 more goals than ourselves. THE PACK ON THE ROAD We defiantly need to improve our for away from Molineux, with six of our seven defeats coming on the road. You will note that all losses were against sides which finish the Premier League season inside of the top 10, apart from the freak defeat to Bournemouth. Again, statistically we closed the season with eight wins, five draws, and six loses on the road. Whilst only posting a positive goal difference of +2 (scoring 22, conceding 20). MIGHTY MOLINEUX Our home form formed a critical component of our success in the Premier League. Across the 2023/24 campaign we managed to establish Molineux as a fortress, where visiting teams struggled to secure points. I sit here with a smirk on my face knowing that I have managed o close the season with THE best home record in the Premier League. Remarkably we only conceded eight goals in 19 fixtures, and 66% of all goals scored across the 2023/24 campaign were in front of our season ticket holders. This strong home form was one of the core pillars which formed the foundation of our overall success, we will need to ensure we remain dominant at Molineux if we are to retain our competitive edge across 2024/25, and contend for a place in the Premier League's Top Four. THE WEST MIDLANDS DERBY - PART TWO A truly exceptional performance from a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that clearly wanted to set the record straight, after the embarrassing defeat earlier in the season (0-5) to Unai Emery's side. Redemption - An act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed. To make the victory even sweeter, we aligned pretty well with our footballing philosophy. 45% possession vs 55% 45% ball share vs 55% 1.79 NPxG from 10 shots 0.179 xG per shot The only draw back being that we completed 99 final third passes , compared to Aston Villa's 75. However, Moussa Diaby's sending off in the 68th minute certainly helped inflate our numbers. The fourth and final goals scored by Rayan Aït-Nouri is another fine example of our projection style football in action. Matt Doherty strips Álex Moreno of the ball inside our box, the ball falls to Mario Lemina who progresses the ball to Tommy Doyle, one of four wolves players attacking the vacant space. Doyle carries the ball to the final third, before playing a pass out wide to Rayan, who inverts on the ball, unleashing his shot past Emiliano Martínez from by the penalty spot. Let the boys play! EUROPEAN ADVENTURE Get your passports at the ready, Wolverhampton Wanderers are going on a European adventure. The club were last qualified for a UEFA competition back in 2019/20 when under the guidance of NES Wolves made it tot he Quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. However, what is this, we received notification in our inbox (not spam or phishing) that Wolves have secured qualification to the UEFA Champions League! That's right, fifth place was enough to secure the club direct passage to the new League Phase, the Old Gold will be tested against the finest opponents the continent has to offer, what a time to be alive! PLAYER FOCUS I wanted to provide an overview of some of our key performers from across the 2023/24 campaign, highlighting some of their key outputs which have contributed to the overarching success of the Wolves side. The form of José Sá across the season was immense, with our Number 1 closing the season with a save percentage of 87%, a figure 2% higher than his expected save percentage. His ability to make an excellent ratio of saves compared to the average seen him finish as the leading goalkeeper with regards to his save percentage and also a significant outlier with regards to his advanced goalkeeping statistics. José also picked up the most clean sheets (20) in the Premier League, beating Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham by four. The Algerian has already been under the spotlight for his impressive outputs earlier in the campaign, there is no denying that without Rayan Aït-Nouri this Wolves side would lose a key creative contribution. This is evident in his 1.64 open play key passes per 90, and more importantly 0.30 assists per 90 outputs. Comparing him to other defenders in the league, Rayan is a highly creative player, who is capable of high quality creating from open play. He has the third highest open play expected assist output per 90 in 2023/24, a figure higher than Trent Alexander-Arnold. His nine assists across the campaign (1st), paired with his six player of the match awards (2nd), and an average rating of 7.21 (1st), seen Rayan Aït-Nouri crowned both Fan's Player of the Season, and Young Player of the Season. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, for those of you who follow Wolverhampton Wanderers, or even the Premier League, it may have come to a surprise to see the inclusion of the 25 year old in this segment. However, the attacking midfielder demonstrated his ability in the final third, which is highlighted by his 0.20 expected assists per 90, and 0.25 non penalty expected goals. The Frenchman also posted a high pass completion of 88% and rarely lost possession of the ball. He was in fact our second highest goal assist provider (7). Pedro Neto was the other leading candidate for our player of the season, the Portuguese winger (playing as a Shadow Striker) closed the campaign as our top goal scorer (16), most player of the match awards (7), and joint highest average rating (7.21). His ability to progress play through dribbling was exemplary (3.25 dribbles per 90), and he was also the standard bearer for pressures attempted (11.07). His composure in front of goal also seen him out score his expected goals total by 4.98. Above is our best eleven, the only surprise omission from our frequent starting eleven is that of Mario Lemina, who was pipped to a spot by Tommy Doyle. PROJECTION STYLE FOOTBALL Here's the moment you have all secretly been waiting for, our performance against the all important 'Pitch Tilt' visualisation. As you can see from the below, have some work to do, after closing the season (only just) on the wrong side of both metrics. If we are to align to this projection style of football, based on this seasons outputs, we need to roughly reduce our final third passes per game by 10, and increase our opponents final third passes per game. I decided to extrapolate the schedule view for the entire 2023/24 season and manually input the final third passes for, and against. This help to show me how effective we are playing when the shoe is on the other foot. The data doesn't make for a good read, as per my headline takeaway. 79% OF ALL POINTS DROPPED ACROSS THE 2023/24 SEASON STEMMED FROM GAMES IN WHICH THE OPPONENT COMPLETED MORE FINAL THIRD PASSES THAN WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS. Now let that sit in...based on the above data, I would expect to see ourselves in a relegation battle, rather than pushing for the Top Four, playing a true brand of projection style attacking football. How can I look to make a minor tweak to the tactic, without placing the results under jeopardy? TEAM MENTALITY An easy way to describe mentality on Football Manager is it is the base attacking intent of the squad. Mentality is a measure of the amount of risk players are willing to take within the confines of the tactical system. The more you turn the dial the less risk aversive players will be. Risk can be seen to impact any of the following within Football Manager, width, passing directness, tempo, line of engagement, ad defensive line. Mentality will be the first variable which I will look to put to the test, in search of aligning with this so called projection attacking style. This segment of the post will explore if I should take a more risk aversive approach, or do I play with fire. CAUTIOUS - THIS MENTALITY IS BEST EMPLOYED FOR MATCHES IN WHICH YOU EXPECT TO LOSE THE BATTLE FOR POSESSION BUT FEEL YOU CAN BREAK WITH SOME REGULARITY. IT AIMS TO KEEP MEN BEHIND THE BALL WHEN DEFENDING BUT TO PROVIDE QUICK SUPPORT TO ATTACKING PLAYERS WHEN THE BALL IS IN THE FINAL THIRD. IT RELIES ON GETTING THE BALL FORWARD QUICKLY ENOUGH TO EXPOSE THE SPACES BEHIND AGGRESSIVE FULL-BACKS AND WINGERS, WITH PLAYERS TENDING TO STAY DEEPER AND MAINTAIN DEFENSIVE SHAPE IF THE BREAK LOOKS LIKE COMING TO NOTHING. THIS MENTALITY IS BEST EMPLOYED FOR MATCHES WHERE THE TEAM ARE FAVOURITE TO WIN AND EXPECT TO DOMINATE POSSESSION IN THE OPPONENTS HALF. IT AIMS TO EXPLOIT SPACE IN THE FIANL THIRD BY EMPLOYING A FAST TEMPO AND MORE DIRECT PASSING. IFTHE TEAM HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF LOSING THE BALL BY ATTACKING, THEY WOULD HOWEVER OPT TO RECYCLE THE BALL TO RETAIN POSSESSION. IT FOCUSES HEAVILY ON GETTING PLAYERS FORWARD AND INTO SPACE AND ALLOWS THEM THE CREATIVE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. I have tested both mentalities for a small sample of games to be in a position to carry out some analytics, this should help to provide you all with a deeper understanding of how this function works within Football Manager. Above, the headline data from games against both Brighton, and Athletic Club. I have chosen to carry out further analysis on these two games, as we closed each with a very similar possession, and more importantly both sides played in a 4-4-2 formation. PASSING NETWORKS There is a clear difference between the passing networks, with a larger volume of passes being completed between the team. This is likely to be a combination of the impact the mentalities play on both passing directness, and tempo. AVERAGE POSITIONS Taking the teams average positions into account, there really isn't too much difference between the two images with regards to both positioning in, and out of possession. The only marginal difference is visible in the compactness between the lines without the ball, as expected a cautious mentality has less spacing between the front three and midfield pivot, likely due to them making less forward runs and moving up and down the pitch as more of a collective/pack. BACK THREE COMPLETED FORWARD PASSES Again a further two points which I have been clearly able to demonstrate through the above completed pass visuals of the defensive trio. There is both an increased volume of forward passes from the central defenders, and they are completing more forward passes from a higher position on the pitch. UNSUCCESFULL PASSES Looking at the above images, I am able to identify two clear differences between comparing the two visuals. Firstly, you will note that when playing under the 'cautious' mentality we have decided to deviate away from playing the ball out from the back. It is clear to see that we have opted to play a larger percentage of long goal kicks, likely due to the increased risk of losing possession closer to our own goal. Secondly, when playing with an 'attacking' mentality you will note that we are accumulating more unsuccessful passes in the progression phase. Playing more low percentage passes with the view to entering the final third. MENTALITY CHANGE I have decided to play with fire, we will now be playing on an 'attacking' mentality. For me the cautious approach looked, and felt within the match engine as if it would result in us playing more passes in the final third, when compared to attacking. This is due to the players adopting a more risk aversive approach, which would see them not want to lose possession and therefore play more passes, looking for that perfect opportunity to score. I feel the more attacking approach will hopefully steer us more in the direction of the 'projection' brand. Yes, we might have more attacks, but these will likely to stem from a more direct progression phase, meaning fewer touches in the final third. I have also decided to change one of our midfield roles, switching from a BWM on support, to a Anchor on defend, with the view to reducing another body from entering the final third. Finally, an addition of a single player instruction (cross from deep) to our right sided (less creative) wing-back, has been added. This will instruct him to cross from deeper more often, again hopefully reducing the number of touches in the final third. RECRUITMENT As with any close of season, there is the opportunity to assess your playing squad, with the view to making the team stronger for the season ahead. This was certainly the case at Wolverhampton, whilst European qualification is great, the increased volume in fixtures could potentially place a significant burden on our playing squad. Fortunately, Wolves had a few assets on loan, and through the sale of a couple we managed to generate a whopping £63 million. Gonçalo Guedes secured a move to Al-Nassr Football Club, his departure smashed the club fee for a sale, historically held by Diogo Jota, moving to Liverpool for £42 million back in 2020. A good piece of business, given the 27 year old hadn't played for Wolves since 2022/23. The other player to leave the club for a notable fee was Daniel Podence with Olympiacos taking up the option to buy in his loan contract (£4.3 million). Tommy Doyle made 26 appearances for the club across the season. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that we made the decision to sign the 23 year old on a permanent basis from Manchester City. We were able to agree a deal for £2 million with City, despite him having an option to buy for close to five. The main signing was that of Lamine Camara the 20 yar old joining from FC Metz for a structured deal totalling £22 million (£8m upfront, with a further £7m in 2025, £3.5m in 2026, and £3.5 in 2027). Possession won 13.66 Tackles won 2.47 Pressures attempted 11 Expected assists 0.29 Camara was again cherry picked based on his statistical outputs, his determination, work rate and commitment shine through, along with his ability to pick out a team mate, making him the perfect long-term replacement for Mario Lemina in the role of the Segundo Volante. Four further signings were made, bringing in some younger players to the club, with eyes set on the future. Bastien Meupiyou - the 18 year old, left-sided centre back was stripped from Nantes 2 for £3 million. Capped at U20 level for France, Bastien is an exciting young prospect who isn't far from first team level. Efe Korkut - the 18 year old Turkish midfielder joins from Stuttgart for £500k. Unlike Bastien, Efe will be loaned out to affiliate side Grasshoppers to continue his development, he is showing early signs of being a useful signing for the future. Noha Lemina - the younger brother of Mario, Noha was signed on a permanent deal from PSG for £350k. Similarly to Efe, Noha will continue his development out on loan, his first step in his journey to the first team begins with League One Preston North End. Moisés Ramírez - the 24 year old was signed for £2 million from Ecuadorian side Club Independiente del Valle. Moisés is currently the national team 'Number 1' and will join Wolves in June 2025, after the decision was made to defer his signing until the end of the next season. THE RETURN OF THE LONE WOLF THE TERM "LONE WOLF" DESCRIBES A PACK WOLF THAT HAPPENS TO TEMPORARILY BE TRAVELING ALONE, WHICH IS OFTEN THE CASE DURING SUMMER, OR ONE THAT HAS DISPERSED FROM ITS NATAL PACK. After his departure from Molineux, there was a surprise candidate in the applications for an additional coaching spot, allocated by the Board at the close of season. Gary O'Neil had been unemployed for over a year, and clearly wanted to get himself back involved in the game. I immediately offered him a contract, the position, my number two. A determined individual, with exceptional motivational skills, along with a strong tactical knowledge. The recruitment of the 41 year old was a no brainer, especially when considering his preffered formation matches our own. Welcome back Gary.

@LUFCspeni no shame in copying the tactic my friend, you have in fact reminded me that I need to set up some downloadable links to the tactic for those of you that are less pro-active. I'm really pleased to see that it has also been just as effective for in Spain, with a much bigger club in terms of reputation. @Litmanen 10 how long is a piece of string! I have two boys who take up quite a lot of my free time, along with still actively playing 1st XV rugby. However, I'd say that these larger posts roughly take a week to knock up, given I get to work on them sporadically. The construction usually takes a similar pathway, I try to group my writing under key themes which have captured my attention the most during the save, I keep a little notebook by my side on the desk to jot down some key thoughts, the others are ingrained in my head as they are with me most of the day. I then draft up a template and insert the headlines and visuals, this enables me to jump into writing as and when time allows.

@Tilling I really appreciate you kind words, you will be pleased to know that I am just about finalising the next update, so all being well it should be good to go over the next few days! Without blowing my own trumpet too much, it should make for an interesting read!

All the fancy team roles in action, this is going to be exciting, if you can make play cohesive! A strong blend of attributes to form the DNA, along with a sensible choice in deploying more defenders, over attacking players with the Moneyball approach. We all know you can pick a defender up for significantly less money, smart from you. There is something about the 'Pink' colour scheme which is really appealing!

DNA 👀

Any particular reason behind the starting destination?

@toco y me voy @ianscousemac @_Ben_ thanks for taking the time to drop a comment, I was starting to think I had made the wrong decision to move the thread from within the usual career updates section of the forum. I think the move to a style of save where I am attempting to deviate significancy away from the Premier League 'norm', and a polar opposite from the 'Ajax Way' is something which should grab my attention span, well at least until the next idea pops up! Either way, you all will at least get a few seasons written up, focusing on different aspects of the match engine. @Kreeki all recruitment focuses are set up for 'Any Position' I think this is the best option available as I want to be the final judge on if a player, and their ability to play a certain role in our team. Also, for this save I am limiting myself to only sign players which have passed through my scouting team. Therefore, selecting this option helps me to at least have a wider pool of talent to select from. @Litmanen 10 I will make a mental note to include a few more visuals for you all to experience what I am seeing. I have quickly taken a few gifs from the last few games.... Exhibit A: This example is not a counter attack, but is a great example of how fluid we are in terms of transitioning the ball through the phases. Six passes (vertical) starting at the very back with José Sá and ending with Saša Kalajdžić putting the ball in the net, albeit offside. Exhibit B: A much more accurate representation of what we are trying to achieve against Leicester City. We punish our opponent after João Gomes wins the ball back on the edge of the box, with Leicester starting with every player in our half, five passes is all it took before Matheus Cunha opened the scoring. If you are enjoying this thread, I would also like to point you in the direction of those from @crusadertsar and @DrChristopher under this section.