SteinkelssonFM
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Posts posted by SteinkelssonFM
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Worrying signs regarding the declining xG, have you tried simply tinkering with the mentality instead of making an overhaul to your system?
Some shrewd business in the market Sørli is also the stand out for me, always nice to pinch someone from your rivals!
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I have been a little busier than usual with regards to both work and family life, therefore todays update is a little more shorthand, bringing you up to speed with the goings on in Nantes.
The last two months (in game) have been full of both highs (victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UCL, and drawing against PSG in Ligue 1), and lows (largest defeat in Ligue 1 vs Marseille 0-3, and our UEFA Champions League exit in the round of 16 to Milan).
We closed off the month with a Coupe de France Quarter Final victory over Lille, with Mostafa Mohamed again ending a large run of games without scoring, a trend which we have now become well accustomed to. The Egyptian has now scored 19 times this campaign, albeit his ten in Ligue 1 is half his 20 from last campaign.
Taking a closer look at the leagues form table, should we be a little concerned? OGC Nice could well be in with a shout for securing the Ligue 1 title, Francesco Farioli's side are on a 23 game unbeaten streak, with this sort of form they should continue to push PSG very, very close. Whilst both Marseille, and Monaco both are impressing, which could well see us close the campaign in fifth place, our form away from home, not quite matching our performances at Stade de la Beaujoire.
YOUTH INTAKE
Angelo Carbone may well have been in post for less than a year. However, the Nantes Head of Youth Development has delivered, with four players in the elite category.
JULIEN MALANDAIN
The first of the bunch is Julien, who is a highly determined individual who possesses great handling, reflexes, and agility. Some core attributes already ticked off for him becoming a future number 1 at the club.
XAVIER CLAVAUD
Xavier has a strong physical profile for his age, yet despite having excellent technique, and flair, he technically doesn't appear to offer too much at this early stage. After studying his profile, I think the best option is to initially consider Xavier as an inside forward, utilising his speed off the mark, agility, and technical skills.
PAPE SECK
It isn't very often when your youth intake includes a 15 year old, who holds a two star current ability, let alone three attributes which are 16 or above. Pape Seck is that guy, with elite flair, he is a footballing magician, who is technically adept, good at finishing chances, and can accurately pick out teammates when on the ball.
The fact that Pape is Nantes, born and bred, really excites me! He could well become the future of the club!
ALBAN MIRANDE
Unlike Xavier, Albine holds a more well rounded profile, he is an accurate passer of the ball, who is technically adept. His mixture of bravery, teamwork, and natural fitness, could see him deployed as an advanced playmaker due to him not being strong enough, or mentally astute with regards to his positioning.
RECRUITMENT
Looking at the above minutes played to-date, it is clear to see that we don't have a rotation option available for Nicolas Cozza, the 26 year old has played 22% more minutes than second place Alban Lafont.
Considering he has played nearly every game this season, his outputs are still impressive, with Nicolas producing a high number of key passes per 90, creating a high number of open play expected assists. His numbers have dropped off a little compared to last season, particularly dribbles which have decreased from 3.22 to 2.91, most likely due to not having the energy reserves, opting to progress the ball by the pass. His average rating has also dropped a little from 7.21 to 7.12.
The above highlighted the need to recruit, when searching for wing-backs there really is only one true starting point, Brazil. The country has a rich history in producing top class defenders, including the likes of Marcelo, Dani Alves, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu.
My scouting team, well Pedro Alves brought a 22 year old from Palmeiras to my attention. Vanderlan is capped at U23 level, and his top speed enabled him to outpace players, he is a consistent performer, with the love of big matches. He already has traits of hugging the touchline, and tries long range passes, you'd have to agree, he has potential.
I am hopeful that the deal for the Brazilian will potentially be the last one we have to make at the club for a while, as we now have significant depth, with a good spread of players in the youth sides which are capable of helping out if needed.
INFRASTRUCTURE
There have also been some more positive changes in relation to the infrastructure, the board agreeing to invest heavily in the improvement of youth facilities. Most importantly, a deal has been arranged with Grenoble in Ligue 2, they will become our new affiliate club, and will absolutely be utilised next season with regards to providing our young talent a platform to showcase their ability in the second tier of the French pyramid.
FORWARD LOOK
With only Ligue 1 to focus on, each and every point will be hard-fought from here on in, to secure passage to the UEFA Champions League again would be immense, and help to ensure we can continue to secure the talent we have at the club, through offering improved contracts.
I leave you today with the below, just a flavour of things to come here in Nantes. FYI this was from an U19 game. However, it's not very often you see three perfect scores handed out!
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@Jogo Bonito thanks for taking the time to comment, I would have to agree that Nantes are such a great fit for my preferred style of playing FM. I'm not sure if you'd have noticed, but they released their kit for 2024/25 the other day, it is a simple yet effective replication of an older styled kit.
If you want to look at some of the finer detailing on the kit, go and check out their IG site.
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Without having to worry too much about spoiling it for you, it is safe to say that statistic no longer remains @rich ruzzian
With regards to Den Boggende, it will be a few more years before I have that sort of spending power. The deals for Lamine, and Santos (both £12) were record deals for the club, and whilst we have quite a lot of talent coming through for all other positions, apart from a back up for CWB (more on that in the next post 👀) we shouldn't really need to spend heavily, unless one of our key players is purchased.
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A made the executive decision that the time was right to dip into the market for a striker, needing to bring in a player to play second string to Mostafa Mohamed. However, unlike those who have come before, there is a need for this individual to have the profile suitable for leading the line here at Natntes.
The requirements
- Height, over 6'0
- Strong
- Excellent jumping reach
Clearly the role I am looking to recruit is that of a traditional battering ram. This type of player is tall, strong, and brave, who are excellent headers of the ball. The battering ram is unleashed on defenders, acting as the focal point of our attack. Unlike the traditional battering ram, who often plays with their back to goal, creating havoc, bringing others into the game. Our battering ram needs to be quick off the mark, enabling them to run the channels, stretch the opponent, and get on the end of those whipped crosses.
Above the list of individuals from the scouted list which fit the bill. However, you will note that our highest recommended player is way out of budget. We only had £2.1 million left in terms of the transfer budget. I once again needed to be savvy with the package offered, and let's not forget the player would need to come to the club with limited expected game time.
This ruled out Marko Milovanović who is having an excellent campaign with Almeria, the forward is scoring freely in the Spanish second tier, with a goals per 90 output of 0.74 and a conversion rate of 19.5%.
After speaking to the agent of Rafiu Durosinmi it was apparent that FC Viktoria Plzeň would be keen to cash in on the Nigerian, as he only had 18 months left on his current contract, a fee of between £3 million and £6 million was quoted.
Rafiu is a right-footed striker who generates a goal-scoring threat from his actions inside the oppositions box, constantly stretching defences. Providing technical security to his team's attack, often on the lookout to collect and connect to attack if he's not playing as a lone striker. He scores goals in expansive forms, his one-footedness brings a few limitations, skilled in using his head, in fact one could make a case that he scores more goals from headers than his other foot. The combination of all these abilities makes him a handful for defenders and adds to his box and overall threat. (breakingthelines)
A structured deal was agreed for the 22 year old Nigerian, £1.3 million up front....yes you read that right, with a following £833k to be paid in January 2026, followed by circa £400k to be paid for the next five years.
Rafiu's debut wasn't mind-blowing. However, the one statistic that matters, he converted his only shot, to get his account for Nantes up and running. If his first performance is anything to go by, we could now have the back-up striker we have craved over the last two seasons.
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Fair play mate with regards to going hands off with regards to the recruitment process. Not quite sure I could go down that route as I like control.
I really like the visual highlighting how you play in the progressive phase, the central overloads will no doubt place your opponents under significant pressure, and the movement between the lines again providing headaches.
How do the team manage with transitions down the flank, do you have them pressing intensely?
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DECEMBER 2024
A mixed bag in terms of results for the month, defeats against Brest and Monaco (our first of the season) enable PSG to extend their gap at the top of the league, whilst OGC Nice continue their excellent form, creating a three point buffer.
We threw away a two-goal lead against Spurs in the UEFA Champions League. However, if you were to have offered me the outcome prior to kick-off I would have bitten your hand off for it. We now know that a win in our last two fixtures secure our progression in the competition, a point could well be enough depending on other outcomes.
Considering my initial concerns surrounding the challenges of navigating the UCL and Ligue 1, we are doing exceptional (ok joking the Joker certainly helped, providing us with an extra body). Whilst a top three finish is still in doubt, Monaco, and Marseille will both likely have something to say, especially if Marseille can edge out their draws, converting them into victories, they will no doubt be involved at the end of the campaign.
Looking forward, we have a tasty few fixtures between the opening/closure. A trip to the San Siro to play Inter, along with hosting Dortmund. The fixture against Lille sandwiched between both of the UCL games will be a real challenge, especially considering they are also breathing down our necks.
Again, it is worthwhile noting that we have already won the last three fixtures against Lille, all without conceding a goal.
BEYOND THE FIRST TEAM
I wanted to take a little time away from the first team to provide an update on two of the promising talents at the club. Kinkela and Leroux, have both been loaned out to sides in Ligue 2 to gain a heightened level of exposure to football at a higher level than our reserve team offers (league).
Both haven't failed to deliver, despite playing their trade at two very different clubs, with Anthony Kinkela at Troyes, who find themselves in 2nd place in the mix for promotion to Ligue 1. Whilst, Louis Leroux is at the other end of the table (17th) in a relegation dogfight.
ANTHONY KINKELA
The 18 year old striker is showing that goal scoring comes naturally in Ligue 2, hitting the back of the net 9 times in 16 appearances thus far. The youngster holds a 27% conversion rate (8th) in Ligue 2, and has racked up the third highest non penalty xG 7.09, which he is outperforming. Eyes locked in with the view to playing a supporting role as our inside forward next year.
LOUIS LEROUX
Unlike Kinkela, Louis is playing football at the opposite end of the spectrum, his attacking contributions from attacking midfield are paramount to Cholet's survival hopes. The 19 year old is contributing with a goal or assist each game, playing 15 times, scoring nine and assisting six. Louis currently holds the second best conversion rate in the league (39%), and is outperforming his open play expected assists value of 2.84.
RESERVES
The reserves are in Championnat National 2, and find themselves seven points clear of second place. It is worthwhile noting that B teams are not allowed to be promoted from this division. Therefore, there is a real need to explore an affiliate club in the French lower leagues, either Ligue 2, or Championnat National to easily provide talent with an opportunity without the need to navigate the luck of the loan market.
Within the current squad of 29 players, we have been notified that the below three are potential first-team candidates. You will note from their progress, they are stagnating, probably due to the fact they are playing/training at the wrong level. I immediately actioned them to train with the first-team.
Académie
The youngsters are well on track for securing back to back league titles. Again there are currently 39 players within the squad, far too many to ensure a focus on minutes/development.
Therefore I will look to conduct a review of all playing staff below the first-team with the view to chopping numbers in each team to 18, replicating the model as followed at Ajax.
Player outputs to note
- Goals 13- Billel Amara (1st)
- Expected goals underperformance Billel Amara -3.66 (1st)
- Conversion rate - Herba Guirassy 37%
- Open play key passes - Brayan Nzita 18 (2nd), Loic Maith 16 (3rd)
JANUARY 2025
The opening two games of the calendar year were in the Coupe de France, enabling me to play a rotated side in both fixtures, providing opportunities to some of those individuals mentioned above.
Remember the name: Billel Amara became the clubs youngest player at 16 years, and 135 days against Bordeaux in the Coupe de France. One stage later he also became the youngest player to score for Nantes, aged 16 years, and 148 days.
A defeat away to Inter wasn't enough to dampen our spirits, as a late goal by Jean-Charles Castelletto against Lille ensured we provided a buffer from one of the chasing pack in Ligue 1. Despite seeing less of the ball we were able to create the best chances of the game, in which Lille were down to 10 men after Jefferson Lerma saw red.
The final result against Dortmund was enough to see us progress in Europe, finishing three points outside of the automatic qualification zone. The game was fairly equal with both sides having spells of sustained pressure across the match, Mostafa Mohamed missed his first penalty in the game after dispatching his previous six.
Clearly impressed by our performance against them in the UCL, Tottenham came knocking with regards to their vacant managerial position, they were immediately told where to go.
Magnus Steinkelsson showing his loyalty, by signing a new contract with the club until 2028.
JAPHET N'DORAM
Mostafa also was awarded Ligue 1's best foreign player, the last time Nantes has a winner was back in 1994 (I was in year 5/6) with Japhet N'Doram (Chadian) collecting the personal accolade.
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Anyone else loving the new format. 😍
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Genuinely surprised by the talent on display, maybe I am being obnoxious to think Canadian football would be more inferior.
Heath is an absolute baller, to have those attributes at 19 goes a long way to highlight the fact that the well rounded youngster, could easily become a phenomenon.
You must be buzzing to get him involved post injury.
Will you be looking to schedule in a few friendlies to play that big gap between fixtures.
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Thanks @_Ben_ well into the groove now with this save, I am hopeful that it will take me all the way up to FM25, which I have already started making plans for. Next year I will try and stay more active in here, I have kind of dipped in and out this year.
@CameronFM The end goal is to finish within the top six, I need the additional income line (European football) to help propel the club in the right direction, investing in the infrastructure, with the view to ensuring we can be in the position to attract the best talents. Ideally another season in the UEFA Champions League would tick all the boxes. However, I am not foolish enough to think that anything less is a failure.
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Shame to see the deal for Lopez fall through, so you think you will continue to scout his performances, with the view to going back in for him? Or are you more than content with Batman and Robin in terms of sharing the goal scoring burden?
You are well in the hunt for the top 6, looking forward to the next update.
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@ElPayaso the section below on the 'Joker' window is for you.
@SixPointer @Dogfacedgremlin @CameronFM plenty in todays update in relation to your comments.
Welcome back to 'The Nantes Way', in todays update I will provide you the outcome of both October, and November, before delving into a few other aspects of the save which I feel are worthwhile documenting.
OCTOBER 2024
The end of Autumn for me is always a good point in your save to reflect on the league performance, by this point you would have played enough games to ensure your review is worthwhile.
As you can see from the above results we managed to navigate October with only the single defeat, this came against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
Our performances across this period saw a continuation of our declining expected goals for metric (excluding the game against Lens). Fortunately, we are still showing a defensive robustness, which has ensured we closed the month continuing our domestic unbeaten streak. I took a deep sigh of relief against RC Strasbourg Alsace when Mostafa Mohamed ended his goal drought scoring a tap in from a few yards, the shot had an xG value of 0.9, he couldn't miss!
We posted our highest xG of the season (4.55) in Ligue 1 against FC Metz, whilst the sending off of Matthieu Udol in the 49th minute for a second bookable offence, helped our cause, we had already amassed 13 of the 30 shots taken by this point.
THE JOKER
The French Football Federation grants clubs in Ligue 1, and Ligue 2 the chance to use a 'joker' and sign a player outside of the transfer window. A club in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 can use a 'joker' from the day after the summer window until the day before the winter window.
With the board increasing my transfer budget, I may have found the new £18.5 million budget, burning a hole in my pocket. Yes, I triggered the 'Joker' card, and made a signing outside of the usual recruitment window.
Tiago Santos - At 22 the Portuguese U21 player has the ability to come into the side as a starter. You can see from the below, he can operate anywhere down the right-flank. However, he has been purchased to boost the impact of our right-sided full back (IWB). The structure of the deal was £4 million upfront, with £3m in October 2025, £2.5m in November 2026, and £2.5m in November 2027.
His effectiveness in both the attacking, and possession phases of play are clear to see from the above visual. Whilst, when comparing his outputs to other full backs (Tiago is playing as an IWB) his outputs for someone only 22 are phenomenal, he has took to Nantes like a duck to water.
Lamine Camara - At 20 Lamine already resembles a player with limited flaws to his attribute structure, considering his age, he is exceptionally well rounded. For those of you who followed my Wolves thread over in the Tactics, Training and Strategies page, you'll know how effective he can be at the top level. The structure of the deal was £3 million upfront, with £4.1m in October 2025, £2.5m in November 2026, and £2.5m in November 2027.
*Bug - much to my surprise the transfer of Lamine Camara also was pushed through immediately, we played another 'Joker' card. After the transaction was agreed, I frantically googled the rules to see if our card from last campaign could be carried over, I found no legislation to state the case. We gained a player a few month early, due to what I can see is only a bug with regards to the implications of the rule in game.
The above visual helps me to visualise the profiles of my midfield, I have grouped attributes under different types of midfielder to help me to see the diversity within the group.
Whilst the acquisition of Lamine now means we have six players which can operate from the DM strata, we now have more diversity, providing breadth, and depth.
- Destroyers - Augusto, and Moutoussamay
- Dynamism - Camara, and Augusto
- Engine Room - Moutoussamy, and Munetsi
- Ball Players - Achi, and Chirivella
This information is used to aid squad selection, and substitutions, knowing what each player brings to the system, despite selection of role.
NOVEMBER 2024
Our form picked up significantly across November, extending our undefeated run, and scoring freely in three of the five fixtures. Unfortunately, there was no repeat of the drubbing of rivals Rennes. However, if your memory is a good one, you'll remember we lost this fixture last year 0-1, the late goal from Tiago Santos securing the draw.
The below is the match momentum against Benfica, showing you that these UEFA Champions League fixtures are panning out to be not as tough as expected. (more on that later).
FYI I am playing a heavily rotated side in the game prior to these fixtures, helping us to achieve our goal, draw down as much additional income as physically possible.
Closing in on the mid-point of Ligue 1, we find ourselves in third place. Other teams impressing, other than PSG are OGC Nice, Marseille, and Brest. Lens and Lyon appear to be struggling to get out of first gear, with both sides already suffering five or more defeats.
A FOCUS ON MOHAMED
Ok so our Egyptian striker has returned to his goalscoring form, scoring seven goals in his last eight games, five in two in the UEFA Champions League.
A massive relief for the club, as without an in form Mohamed spearheading the attack, we don't look the same side. Like Ignatius Ganago before him, Ayoub El Kaabi has struggled to perform when presented with opportunities, placing a greater emphasis on our need for Mohamed to perform.
Compared to his outputs in the last update, he has a better goals per game 0.88 value, compared to 0.5.
I know what you are thinking, what tweaks have been applied to drive this return to form, and improved outputs. The answer, nothing! Sometimes on Football Manager you simply need to trust the process, making tactical tweaks all the time can often be counter productive.
I had faith in our ability to continue to find our lone striker in the box, knowing that him receiving the ball in the box more often than not would result in the desired outcome.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Considering initially I thought we would struggle on the continent, we have in fact surpassed my expectations. We currently find ourselves in the top six positions, which would secure us direct passage to the Round of 16 (don't speak too soon) and have played some of our best football in our return to Europe's top table of club football.
Below I have highlighted some of the stats where we are performing in the top 20. My line of thinking surrounding highlighting these outputs to you are that we know the top 24 sides progress to the next stage (Knock out play off round), therefore providing a nice baseline for comparison.
Attacking stats to note
- Goals 8 (20th)
- Goals per game 1.6 (15th)
- Expected goals for 7.86 (19th)
- Chances created 17 (18th)
- Shots on target 28 (16th)
- Shots on target ratio 48% (15th)
We are doing well in terms of our attacking side of the game, the outputs in my opinion prove that we deserve our place in the top 24. However, possibly should find ourselves a little lower in the rankings.
Defensive stats to note
- Opposition PPDA 3.81 (1st)
- Final third passes against 49 (8th)
- Fouls made 80 (8th)
- Tackles won 116 (16th)
- Clearances 85 (19th)
However, it is without the ball where we are excelling. I am proud to see that we hold the best opposition passes per defensive action, not allowing opponents to settle on the ball, scuppering their chances to enter our defensive third.
We have achieved all of the above with an average possession of 46%. Simply averaging those ranking positions (not exactly a great measure) shows that our average position against all within the top 20 is 14.
I will go on paper to say that failure to qualify for the next stage, based on todays positioning would now be seen as a failure.
FORWARD LOOK
The final five games prior to the winter break, time to go and play some more FM.
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Welcome back to season two of 'The Nantes Way' as we look to build on the previous success of our first season in Brittony, which seen us runners up of Ligue 1, and winners of the Coupe de France.
My initial gut feeling, is that we won't be able to repeat the success of season one, as I doubt the squads ability to negate the challenges of midweek football, as we prepare for our first season in the UEFA Champions League. The media gave predicted that we close the 2024/25 campaign in ninth position, our goal will be to finish within the top six, ensuring back to back qualification to continental football, and access to the additional revenue streams, which are essential for propelling the club forward.
With regards to Ligue 1, and the summers recruitment window, the total spend was £196 million across 115 deal. The league's biggest spenders was Lens, who used all of their £31.5 million received from Real Madrid for the services of Kevin Danso, with Ricardo Pereira being their most expensive transfer, only 7% of all deals were on foreign imports.
Surprisingly, PSG only spent £7 million on players , bringing in Guido Rodríguez (Free from Betis), Albert Grønbæk (£3.9m from FK Bodø/Glimt), Ángel Di María (free transfer), and Franco Watson (£3m from Club Atlético Lanús).
AUGUST 2024
We picked up the season from where we left of with comprehensive victories in two of our first three opening fixtures. Mostafa Mohamed scoring a hattrick in the opening game against Ligue 1 newcomers AS Saint-Étienne, which he then followed up with a brace away at Montpellier.
Marshall Munetsi was injured on his Nantes debut, picking up sprained ankle ligaments which saw him ruled out for the rest of the calendar month. Not exactly the start his season he'd have wished for.
In our opening fixture against AS Saint-Étienne we managed to rack up a total of 21 shots. As impressive as this is, you can see from the above that six of these stemmed from outside the box, along with quite a few others stemming from low scoring positions, as our average xG per shot was 0.08.
In the game against LOSC Lille, we only managed to see 28% of the ball, which is clearly evident in the above image, showing player heatmaps, passes completed, key passes, and shots. Whilst it could be argues that we were fortunate to walk off the park 1-0 winners, it goes to show that possession is just another metric, and one which isn't always heavily linked to the outcome of the match (score line).
SEPTEMBER 2024
Whilst the yellow juggernaut is still moving forward, there are fears that the packed schedule could well see Nantes wheels come off.
You can see from the above rolling xG visual that we are either hot, or cold with regards to the measure of quality chances created. Coming off worse against OGC Nice, LOSC Lille, and Clermont Foot 63.
The expected points table also shows how we are riding our luck at present, having gained seven more points than expected at this stage, which is a worrying sign for the club.
Thankfully lady luck is still with us at the minute, we again find ourselves sitting behind PSG in the league. The Parisians have already accumulated a goal difference of +24 with Kylian Mbappé already hit the back of the net 13 times, seven more than anyone else in the league.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Success in the UEFA Champions League is NEVER going to be on the cards. However, we will play a duel role in our debut campaign. First are foremost, each and every result which doesn't result in defeat will provide the club with a sweet cash injection.
Remember we secured £14.5 million in prize money for finishing runners up in Ligue 1, whilst £2.4 million is awarded per victory in the eight game league phase, and £797k for a draw. Let that sink in, eight wins will deliver £19.2 million, more than is on offer for a 34 game Ligue 1 season.
We have managed to draw down nearly £3.2 million form our opening two games, Enzo Le Fée immediately becoming a fans favourite after scoring the winner in the competition which Nantes haven't appeared since 2001/02.
HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM
If you have been paying attention to the results above, you will have noted that Mostafa Mohamed has failed to score in the last seven games. Whilst we have experienced the striker having a spikey form profile in the past, to go over six hours without scoring is of concern. Especially when we rely so heavily on the Egyptian to carry the team with regards to goalscoring.
The below visual shows how the strikers form has dropped off after the games against AS Saint-Étienne, and Montpellier. It is time to take a little deep dive into his performances, to see if we can identify anything from his underlying data.
Looking at the players pizza chart below, you will see that when compared to players in a similar position across the top twenty leagues, he is performing in the top percentiles when regarding shots, 3.19, non-penalty expected goals 0.63, and goals 0.80.
Looking at this data, there is no reasons as to why I should be concerned with him having a six-hour goal drought. He is outperforming his expected goals per 90, and still taking a high volume of shots per game.
However, despite what this data is telling me, I still feel the need to delve a little deeper into his outputs across his extended barron spell.
The below image is something I have put together from using the data presented in the player analytics screen, whilst the xG has been stripped from the shot map.
Looking at the averages for the selected metrics, you can see that Mohamed is very much a fox in the box, his overarching involvement in games is minimal with regards to touches. However, it is in the box where the forward comes to life, averaging a shot from every touch in the box, with an average xG per shot of 0.35.
What this data analysis informs me is that in the run of games contributing to his drought, teams have been effective at shutting out the Egyptian, with Lille, Auxerre, Toulouse, and OGC Nice reducing him to less than two touches.
*note he didn't feature against Clermont.
Spending 30 minutes on the above has shown me that the striker isn't the issue, it is his supply line which has been stopped, impacting Mohamed's touches in the box, the area where the striker really comes alive.
If our opponents continue to limit our strikers ability to impact the game in the final-third, we will look to tweaking our tactic with the view providing an additional source of supply, this will most likely be a change of role on the left-flank from the inverted forward, to the inverted winger.
FORWARD LOOK
Luis Enrique brings the current French champions to Nantes in the opening Ligue 1 game of October, before we host Simone Inzaghi's Liverpool, which now includes the attacking talent of Michael Olise. Whilst we have to be excited to be provided with fixtures of this calibre, I am fearful that our amazing run of not losing a game to date by more than a single goal, may well come to an end.
Once again, I have an inbox from the board, this time they are pleased to inform me that they have made the executive decision to make extra transfer funds available, as a result of the improvement of the club's finances. We will go into the winter recruitment window with a much improved transfer budget of £18.5 million, meaning after triggering the optional future fee of £4 million for Enzo Le Fée, we will have £14.5 million to spend on player recruitment.
This is the first time in this save where I have had a budget of any significance available, and could see me invest in a player from the top end of the 'First Team Ready' shortlist.
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It was a season to remember for FC Nantes fans, as thanks to results like the emphatic 5-1 win against Lens, we managed to finish 2nd, twelve spots above our pre-season expectations of a 14th place finish.
Les Canaris were one of the competitions surprise packages, consistently defying expectations to celebrate a successful campaign, one which closed with the lifting of the Coupe de France.
THE BEST XI
Below is the best XI as per the end of season in game review, as always FM slides in a few surprises based upon their very own algorithm.
I must admit, this tactic has been an absolute pleasure to play with, yes there is room for improvement. I am hoping with a better player, a natural in the IWB role, there is the possibility the effectiveness of this game model in the offensive phase can really improve.
For those of you who would like to test this out, I have included a link to download 'The Nantes Way'.
Less than a year after my arrival in Nates, I was crowned the best coach in Ligue 1. The last time the award was won by a Nantes coach was back in 2000-2001 when Raynald Denoueix won the old Division 1, now Ligue 1, accumulating 68 points. This points haul is still a record today, his side won 21 games, scoring 58 (record), and conceding 36.
TEAM PERFORMANCE DATA
It just wouldn't feel right if I didn't present to you some data analytics as part of the season 2023/24 review.
ATTACKING STATS TO NOTE
- Goals 67 (2nd)
- Expected goals for 59.45 (2nd)
- Chances created 147 (2nd)
- Shots for 432 (3rd)
- Conversion rate 15% (1st joint with PSG, and Lille)
I have opted to highlight the statistics where we are within the top three best performers, from the above it is clear to see that our game model is extremely effective in the attacking phase of play. We are creating 40 more chances, compared to conceding them, a chance every 60 minutes to our opponents, every 126 minutes.
Looking at the below, you can see where all of our 67 Ligue 1 goals were scored from, with 85% of all goals scored from inside the box, and 82% of these coming from central areas. There is no surprise we hold the best conversion rate in the league, along with the second highest expected goals.
DEFENDING STATS TO NOTE
- Conceded 24 (2nd)
- Expected goals against 30.65 (2nd)
- Clean sheets 15 (3rd)
- Fouls made 462 (2nd)
- Shots against 276 (3rd)
- Opposition PPDA 4.65 (1st tied with Montpellier)
- Final third passes against per game 44 (2nd)
All of the above was completed with 44% possession, the fourth lowest in Ligue 1. Given we are seeing less of the ball than our opponent on average, to have conceded the second least goals, and accumulated one of the lowest expected goals, it again highlight the defensive efficiencies of our game model.
Yes, it is aggressive (2nd highest fouls made), but with the highest PPDA, we aren't allowing our opponents to settle on the ball, scuppering their progress up the field, as reflected in the second lowest final third passes against.
All this with a fitness, and stamina attributes which sit below the Ligue 1 average within the comparison screen.
It is also pleasing to see that 62% of the goals conceded have come from those high scoring xG positions, if we are to concede we are making our opponents work for the goals, much better than seeing lots being scored from areas with a lower shot quality.
11 goals were conceded in the first half with 13 in the second across the breadth of the season, no real spikes to report on with regards to trends. The most goals (6) were conceded between the 1-15 minute mark, maybe we are slow starters!
SQUAD PROFILE
For those of you who have followed my work over the last few year, you will know how much I value a squad profile. I believe this visualisation is an excellent tool to use at the end of each season, from it you can easily see what youth players are getting sufficient game time and are really adding value to your squad, along with which ones aren’t and could benefit from being sent out on loan to assess as to whether or not they are good enough to be involved in your plans.
Secondly, it will identify which players are integral to your plans…you should know this as these are the ones you will be selecting week in week out! However what this tool does is help you to assess which ones are fringe players and ones which may be approaching the end of their prime and could be offloaded.
Now clearly this viz doesn’t cover outputs so it isn’t your only resource, however in my humble opinion it is a great way to see things from a different perspective.
What is the above informing me?
Development (<23) - the two standout players from within this age group are Nastan Zeze, and Bastien Meupiyou, both have played a high number of minutes in their breakthrough season in Ligue 1. Securing such a high volume of minutes at a young age, already informs me these are high value assets, which have the potential to develop into quality players, either here in Nantes, or elsewhere.
Mohamed Achi carved himself a first-team spot midway through the season when Pedro Chirivella picked up an injury, like the other two he needs to be presented with a contract to secure his services at the club, or increase his potential sell on value.
Three players failed to draw down minutes of any significance, two were at the club on-loan (Bénie Traoré, and Matthis Abline) wasting a year of their development time, clearly their deals will not be explored with regards to extension.
Emerging (23-25) - All players from this segment are contributing to the squad, apart from Ignatius Ganago who failed to draw down above average playing time. This was impacted due to the importance of Mostafa Mohamed, who carried the main goal scoring burden for the team. Whilst Ganago did feature, the majority of appearances stemmed from the bench, this lack on consistency impacted the strikers ability to find any sustained form, making him a candidate for selling on, due to his age which will ensure he holds a good market value.
Peak (26-31) - The players above the average in this segment are all in their prime, it will be important for me to attempt to keep hold of this bunch for as long as possible, with the view to ensuring consistency, and cohesion. Of course I am no fool in understanding an offer from a bigger club may turn heads. However, the player will actively want to move on, along with a fee above market value for delas to be agreed.
With Moussa Sissoko, Denis Petrić, and Nicolas Pallois's contracts expiring at the end of the season I will need to keep hold of the other individuals from within this group in order to ensure we have a good mixture of experienced pro's to help with the development, and mentoring of the youngsters coming through.
Experienced (31+) - Florent Mollet will be the only senior member left (depending on recruitment), whilst he played above average minutes last year, there is a need to explore a natural successor for the attacking midfielder. As with any other player that finds themselves in this category.
ATTACKING CONTRIBUTIONS
Whilst I had Tableau open, I thought I'd test out my muscle memory and knock up an attacking contribution visual, the below is a graphical representation of the main goal contributions by position in my best XI.
Now stating the obvious, our danger man is Mostafa Mohamed with 31 goal contributions. However, what you will note is that the game model is actually quite well balanced, with five players contributing with over 10. To make things better these individuals are spread across the width of the pitch, occupying four of the five vertical channels, if we can get a little more return from either the Volante, or Inverted Wing-Back we will have achieved a perfect balance.
BREAKTHROUGH SEASONS
A little segment dedicated to the individuals who have had a breakout season at the club, these Académie graduates have secured a significant number of minutes, contributing to the first teams success.
Nathan Zeze
Nathan (18) secured 1,626 minutes of football for Nantes across 2023/24, to be honest this figure would have been greater if he wasn't one of two promising left-footed centre-back talents emerging at the club.
- + Pass completion ratio
- + Possession Lost
Bastien Meupiyou
Bastien (18) is the other lefty, he secured 1,381 minutes for the club, showcasing his ability to impose himself in most aerial duels, exerting his physical prowess. Unlike Zeze, Meupiyou opted to progress the ball more via pass, rather than dribble.
- + Pass completion ratio
- + Progressive passes
- + Possession lost
Mohamed Achi
Mohamed (22) played 884 minutes of first-team football for Nantes, grasping his opportunity with the big boys with both hands. Looking at the above you will see he managed to make quite the contribution in both his attacking, and possession outputs.
- + Expected Assists
- + Open play key passes
- + Pass completion ratio
- + Progressive passes
- + Distance covered
With UEFA Champions League football coming to Nantes next year, the increase in matches to be played will hopefully see these three continue their development, along with the likes of Stredair Appuah Owusu, Junior Diaz, Lohann Doucet, and Mathieu Acapandié, being the next batch of Académie graduates to potentially make their breakthrough season.
Above is a flavour of what the first-team would look like if we were to field a team of pure Académie talent, based on current ability. Keep your fingers crossed for a weak draw in the opening round of the Coupe de France, although I'm not quite sure I have the bottle to even attempt it with nine of the 11 players on two stars or below.
RECRUITMENT
The transfer window was always going to be of significant challenge, we initially only had £2.1 million available to spend on strengthening the squad. My challenge was to ensure we have the strength, and depth to navigate two fixtures per week, and stay competitive in Ligue 1. This is going to be essential for the continued growth of the status/reputation of FC Nantes, if I am capable of turning them into France's second 'super club' along with PSG.
In order to bolster the war-chest I would have to first sell, Anderlecht (Belgium's Champions for 23/24) enquired for striker Ignatius Ganago, after a few negotiations, we agreed on a deal totalling £4.7 million, (£4m to be paid upfront). Game on!
Eray Cömert - having played over the average minutes threshold, as viewable in the squad profile, the option to make the 26 year old loan deal permanent for only £2.6m was a no brainer. The Swiss defender will bring much needed experience to the defensive unit, which will be of need when playing on the continent.
Tino Kadewere - If 14 goal contributions wasn't a big enough reason to explore signing the forward from Zimbabwe, then his agents estimated sale value of less than £3 million certainly is. You will note there is a theme in our transfer dealings (structured deals), a fee with Lyon was agreed for £2 million, with only £500k to be paid upfront and the rest over the next few years. (12 monthly instalments)
Marshall Munetsi - with Moussa Sissoko leaving the club, I felt the need to bring in an all action midfielder, one who could play across all three strata's if needed. Taking advantage of Reims' misfortune (Relegated to Ligue 2) there were always going to be wholesale changes at the club. Munetsi is a natural in attacking midfield, however his work rate, strength, and stamina (15), paired with his team work (15), bravery (15), and height 6'2 make him versatile enough to operate as the Segundo Volante. He was signed for £1.9 million, again with an upfront fee of £400k.
Ayoub El Kaabi - With the sale of Ganago, there was a need to bring in someone up top to provide some experience. At 31 years of age, the Moroccan fit the bill, he has scored 99 goals in 175 career appearances, a goal in just over every other game. Oh did I mention, his contract had expired at Olympiacos!
Enzo Le Fée - saving the best until last, exploring the loan market I was shocked to see Enzo listed by Rennes, the midfielder appeared in 20 Ligue 1 games last season, albeit only two were starts after his £17.25 million move from Lorient. The fact I was able to secure his services for £1.2 million, with an option to buy for £4m was insane. Ideally Enzo will be my replacement for Mollet as my Number 10.
Above is the squad depth refreshed for 24/25.
Our World knowledge is pretty comprehensive with regards to the scouting team, we are complete in terms of South America (South), and have an outstanding knowledge of Western Europe, and an exceptional knowledge of South Europe.
We had great news in the fact that our scouting budget was enough to cover a worldwide range, meaning that our scouts could begin assignments in Africa. I immediately set up two ongoing recruitment focuses in both North, and Western Africa, with the view to continuing the longstanding tradition of French clubs harvesting talent from 'the garden of Eden'.
INFRASTRUCTURE
At the end of the season I was surprised to find the below email in my inbox, the board decided to install undersoil heating at Stade de la Beaujoire, at the cost of £2 million.
I also approached the board to request further investment, this time in our clubs training facilities. Given we have so little money in our bank account (£11.9 million at the time of writing), I was shocked when my request was granted, at the cost of £3.7 million.
Whilst I am looking to make us have the best Académie in France, I felt it was important to invest in facilities for senior players first, I wanted to make sure we have the tools in place to maximise development in the short-term first and foremost. The revenue which will hopefully be secured from their success will help to drive further investments into the youth facilities.
The fact we have the best coaching team in the league, was also another factor in my decision.
SAVE AIMS
When I wrote the introductory post, I set out three aims for the save, lets see how we are doing in the early stages of aligning to our long-term vision.
Use the Académie
Clearly from the above section in this post, we have a clear strategy to integrate talent from the youth section into the first-team. This season I will look to invest into the infrastructure, by looking to improve either our youth recruitment (Good), or youth facilities (Great).
Improve 'the League of Talents' coefficient
This is more of a collective effort, rather than something which I can impact directly.
However, as you can see from above French Football is taking a nose dive, and currently sit outside the top five with regards to nation coefficients. This impacts our UCL places, which in turn impacts the amount of revenue coming into Ligue 1, the long-term impact, a potential decrease in player quality.
UEFA Champions League 2023/24 - PSG were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Arsenal, whilst Marseille closed their group in third place, Lens failed to record a victory.
UEFA Europa League 2023/24 - Marseille suffered defeat to Brighton in the round of 16 after entering the competition in Knock Out Play Off Round, Rennes also suffered defeat in the knock out play off to FC Porto. Toulouse failed to make it out of their group finishing behind Villareal, and FC Copenhagen.
UEFA Europa Conference League - Toulouse were knocked out by Basel after dropping into the competition in the play off round.
RECRUIT TALENT FROM AFRICA
With the increases to the scouting budget, we can now pursue this recruitment adventure.
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@Dogfacedgremlin such a close league, especially if you remove PSG from the equation, that's what I love about France, each year below PSG it can be pretty much anyone's.
@DefinitelyTaylor you know it mate! This save is bringing back some of those OGC vibes! Although if memory serves me right I managed to win the Europa in the first campaign!
@CameronFM can you imagine anyone spending that money on Ayew looool
@rich ruzzian can we build, how will we cope with two games per week! Aaaaarrgh!
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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!
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When reading the intro, I was kind of hoping the guy with the glasses (Mifsud) would be the fictional manager. He looks like some bad ass mafioso!
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The final update of results from the first season in charge of Nantes, followed by the Coupe de France Final against Marseille. I hope you are enjoying the updates on my save, and a big thank you to those who have taken the time to comment. Believe it or not the engagement does help with continuity.
Bish, bash, bosh! On paper the results look grand! But were they enough to see us finish behind the mighty PSG.
LEVELS
with 15 minutes on the clock and the game locked at 1-1, Pedro Chirivella utilised every bit of his Flair attribute (12) by playing a pass off the corner flag for Nicolas Cozza to pick up and distribute to Tino Kadewere, who scored the first goal of his brace against Brest.
It was this moment of brilliance which acted as the catalyst to the victory, which was enough to secure the side progress to the UEFA Champions League, with two games to spare.
Lens, suffered defeat at home to Lorient, whilst Clermont secured their ninth victory of the campaign, adding Monaco to their list of high-profile scalps which also include Lyon, and Lens.
OGC Nice also suffered defeat to PSG which ensured that game week 32 was one that would see the top four spots secured, with the two fixtures remaining, deciding who would finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.
We were seconds away from defeat against Monaco, a defeat which would have seen us close the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season in 4th place. Whilst I would have bitten your hand off for this outcome at the beginning of the season, a single goal would be enough for us to close runners-up. Thankfully our set-piece threat has been a consistent strength, as previously documented, and the above goal was enough to change our fortunes.
We are part of a select group in terms of our set piece numbers, as you can see we score a higher amount of goals than average, and are also conceding less, placing us amongst two other clubs Lens, and PSG, who are the outlier.
My old friend the XPTS table shows that we deserved to finish in second place, we were rewarded for our form across the season fairly.
COUPE DE FRANCE FINAL
FC Nantes head into the final against Olympique de Marseille with the knowledge that history has seen them finish runners-up in the competition more times than they have won it.
Despite this fact, form does lie with us, having yet to lose to Marseille in our previous two games (1W, 1D), outscoring them three goals to one, with an xG of 2.58 to 1.32.
A few tough decision with regards to the starting XI for the big occasion, Marcus Coco, and Kelvin Amian were the two players I opted to remove from the starting line-up in favour of Tino Kadewere, and Jean-Kevin Duverne.
Marcus was the most unfortunate, his performances have been great, and his involvement would have seen Simon play from the IF role. However, Kadawere has been the more consistent goal threat from out wide this season so something had to give.
Marcus is outperforming Moses with regards to a few metrics when operating as our winger.
- Expected assists 0.24 vs 0.21
- Goals 0.16 vs 0.13
- Possession won 10.76 vs 7.28
- Passes completed 32.5 vs 26.44
- Progressive passes 3.48 vs 2.31
He is producing lower numbers with regards to.
- Non penalty expected goals 0.17 vs 0.25
- Shots 1.58 vs 1.70
- Pressures attempted 12.71 vs 15.45
- Tackles won 3.11 vs 3.14
- Dribbles 3.43 vs 3.62
The majority of the play was conducted in the middle of the park, as expected Marseille won the possession battle, walking off the park with 62% of the ball. They also won the XG battle on the day 1.22 vs 1.15.
Marseille created a high number of clear cut chances in the game 0.36 xG, 0.35 xG, and 0.33 xG. These three shots accounting for 85% of their total xG.
They didn't do enough to secure the result, a second half goal from Kader Bamba was enough to see us lift the trophy. Alban Lafont secured the MOTM, his ability between the posts ensured those clear cut chances didn't enter his net. Lafont has an expected goals prevented stat of 4.40, the fourth highest in Ligue 1, no suprise to see Gianluigi Donnarumma lead the way with 7.70.
We were successful in breaking up play, preventing Marseille from truly getting into a rhythm, where they would be at their most dangerous.
The victory means that Nantes fans have witnessed their team lift the Coupe de France two times in three years, a very successful spell in the clubs history.
The next post will be the season one analysis, and forward look to our second season at the helm of Nantes.
I wanted to sign of with this message which made its way into my inbox, if only we have that money, I currently find our bank balance sitting around the £8 million mark, maybe there is something they know, which I don't.
@rich ruzzian clearly there is no need for the additional income streams
Made me laugh anyways!
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MARCH 2024
I always seem to have a month in Football Manager, where despite even if I am playing like a peak Manchester City, the wheels seem to come off. Now I fully appreciate that one victory, two draws, and a defeat, hardly feel like that kind of moment. Especially, considering the fact I am Nantes, who are predicted to close the league in tenth place.
We managed to create 5.45 xG across these four games, losing the XG battle on the single occasion to OGC Nice (1.52 plays 1.66). In this game failed to hold onto our 2-1 lead, the below passes completed diagram shows that our opponent created far too many shooting opportunities centrally. 41% of OGC Nice's passes were completed by Dante, Melvin Bard and Hicham Boudaoui down the left, taking advantage of the space vacated by our inverted wing-back.
The result against Strasbourg was good considering we were down to ten men after 38 minutes, when Samuel Moutoussamy received his marching orders for a horror tackle, whilst the game against Metz seen us generate one of our lowest xG (0,62) of the season.
COUPE DE FRANCE SEMI FINAL
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Mostafa Mohamed continues Nantes exceptional Coupe de France form, the side from Brittany has secured progression to the Final, making it three appearances in three years.
Failure to progress would have been a result which went against the grain, we had an xG of 1.94 with seven shots coming inside our opponents area, compared to Monaco's 0.49, and two shots.
We will play Xavier García Pimienta's side Marseille in the Final, a team which have an illustrious success in the tournament, victory would see them secure their 11th Coupe de France trophy.
APRIL 2024
April was a funny one, we secured a draw at home against Lyon, despite them being down to 10 men, after Corentin Tolisso was sent off in the 52nd minute. We had less xG than Havre 0.83 plays 0.46, however our only shot on target was all that was needed to secure a 1-0 victory.
The month was closed off with a performance on the opposite end of the spectrum, 14 shots, 4 on target, and no goals from 2.27 xG. Another brutal reminder that despite this season's valiant efforts, there is always room for improvement.
RENNES REDEMPTION
Nobody likes losing to their rivals, the return fixture at Stade de la Beaujoire provided an opportunity to the team to earn their redemption for the early season defeat to Julien Stéphan's Rennes.
Mostafa Mohamed had been hauled off the pitch in the previous two games (6.5 vs Lyon, and 6.4 vs Havre), which meant there were an increased chance of him delivering due to his spikey form profile. Boy, oh boy did he do that, the Egyptian delivered another perfect 10 performance, his second of the campaign, and first in Ligue 1.
With two goals from his five shots on target (1.8xG), he was deadly in front of goal. However, I wanted to highlight to you the above passes completed and received. Mohamed is playing in the role of the advanced forward, yet his ability on the pitch still reflects his best role/duty of Target Forward.
Note how many of his passes received (green) are centrally, and medium/long in length. Whilst the vast majority of his passes completed (black) are backwards, bringing teammates into play, aiding our progression up the pitch.
This really goes to show that you can play individuals outside of their favoured roles, yet their attributes will still impact their style of play in the role deployed on the tactics screen.
Nicolas Cozza also played a key role in the outcome of the match, his six key passes carved out four clear cut chances (0.52, 0.48, 0.30, and 0.21).
The above shot map impressed me with seven shots coming from inside the six-yard box, genuinely we could have walked away from this game with a few more goals than we converted. It really was the perfect victory!
FORWARD LOOK
With three games left to play in Ligue 1, we are well and truly locked in a battle with Monaco, Lens, and Nice, in the hunt for UEFA Champions League Football. Both Lens, and Monaco go into these games with superior form, whilst OGC Nice still have to play PSG.
Oliver Glasner's Lille could also play a huge part in the lay of the land as they face both ourselves and OGC Nice. Whilst we also play Monaco on the final day of the season.
Whilst the prize money in France isn't game-changing, the money from securing continental qualification and the potential additional revenue stream which this achievement will bring could well be game changing for the club. We currently have a net debt of £36,777,039, the goal is to clear this and then start to work on improving the infrastructure at the club, with the goal of creating a talent factory.
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Lovely opening posts, youth and Scandinavia, a great combination. Looking forward to seeing how things pan out.
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@Cube1397 I have to agree that initially on face value Loïc Miath is the player which stands out as having the most potential, although I am not quite sure that he is a Mezzala as the game has described him as. I am more along your school of thought in Deep Lying Playmaker/ Regista role...I am praying that his attributes increase over time, as I see him ideally as a roaming playmaker, I want to utilise his acceleration and passing ability.
@Lestri Benjamin Bensmann is the player which got me excited, being from Liechtenstein he could hopefully become an international before long, I also agree with your statement, he would operate well in the DM strata as a ball winner, he will fit in well as my inverted wing-back.
Keen to hear others views/opinions.
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You are making significant progress and managed to pick up some notable results.
With regards to playing top up or top down, I would prefer playing top down, especially for the brand of football you are looking to implement. I often find having a player in the DM strata can often lead to you becoming more attacking due to the additional cover.
If he is also capable of playing those progressive passes you will also have someone who will help you to exploit the opponents vulnerability when transitioning from attack to defence.
An enjoyable read this Saturday morning.
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Appreciated @Dogfacedgremlin who is your favourite? What role would you play them in, and why?
Same applies to you @danielgear and @Lestri
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YOUTH INTAKE
Our annual youth candidate intake has arrived for assessment, I have been blessed with an excellent intake, at first look this appears to be a terrific group of players. I would like for you all to comment on your favourite player, suggested role, and most importantly reasons for.
ELITE TALENTS
TOP TALENTS
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[FM24] THE NANTES WAY
in FM Career Updates
Posted
Time to reflect on another season at the helm of Nantes, Brittany's most reputable club! Yes, after a slight uplift to our reputation (4 stars), we now find ourselves the highest ranked club from the regions, as Rennes are on a decline (3.5 stars).
My initial fears of finishing in fifth place were unnecessary, we ended up closing the 2024/25 season in fourth place, missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification by the single point.
The outcome could have been different if we were able to secure a victory against Monaco in the Ligue 1 penultimate fixture. However, after drawing the fixture, our fate would be in the hands of FC Metz on the last day of the season.
We did our part, dismantling Montpellier by five goals, a result which meant they would have to navigate the Ligue 1/ Ligue 2 Playoff, which they failed to do, seeing Havre AC return back to the top tier.
Unfortunately, Monaco matched our result, securing Adi Hütter's team a well deserved place in Europe's best club competition.
OGC Nice have provided us all with the faith that the impossible can be achieved, Francesco Farioli's side have managed to score in 30 consecutive games, outperforming their expected points tally by 19 points to secure the title.
As you can see from the above, our final position is fair and justified. PSG opted to part company with their manager Luis Enrique and have decided to call upon the services of José Mourinho.
The standout individual performances in Ligue 1 were dominated by PSG, Kylian Mbappé scoring 35 goals in 34 games is his highest league scoring total in his career.
COUPE DE FRANCE
And it was all yellow! A victory over Ligue 2 side Angers in the Coupe de France Final meant that we lifted our second trophy in as many seasons. Angers completed the unthinkable in the Quarter Final defeating PSG on penalties, followed by a Semi-Final 2-0 victory over Toulouse.
Our route to the Final could have been stopped short in the Quarter Finals, fortunately we navigated the luck of the penalty shoot-out against LOSC Lille, the result was followed up with an easy victory over Marseille (3-1).
Looking at the above, you will see that the outcome was never in doubt with Nantes securing the vast amount of attacking momentum. Moses Simon had a day to remember, scoring a brace, whilst Nicolas Cozza was the stand out player, playing eight progressive passes, aiding our fast transitions.
TEAM PERFORMANCE DATA
Time to compare some of the standout metrics from this campaign, against those from 2023/24.
Attacking stats to note
The attacking statistics are very much, a much of a muchness when comparing our outputs across the two campaigns. We created a higher expected goals value in 2024/25, scoring more goals, taking 30 more shots. However, when looking at the expected goals per shot, the value only dips by 0.01, which shows we weren't compromising the shot quality in those additional strikes.
This is highlighted in the above image, showing that 82% of our goals stem from inside the opponents area, all which has been achieved without 'Work Ball Into Box' being selected.
defending stats to note
All of this was achieved with 47% possession, three percent higher than the last campaign.
BREAKTHROUGH SEASONS
Time to look at a few players who made their breakthrough season into the first team, all have stemmed from within the Nantes Académie.
Stredair Appuah Owusu
The 20 year old winger secured 1,400 minutes of first team football across the campaign, contributing with four goals and three assists. His creative statistics are the ones which stand out the most, Stredair has demonstrated his ability to create a high number of expected assists (0.33 per 90). The winger is racking up 4.63 dribbles per game, using his pace and close control of the ball to progress play and create chances.
With Moses Simon approaching his 30's, Stredair is the natural successor to hold Nantes width down the right-flank.
Junior Diaz
The introduction of the 21 year old into the first team only arose due to Eray Cömert suffering a pulled calf muscle and Jean-Charles Castelletto having to sit out a game due to a ban. Diaz snatched the opportunity with both hands, and to be frank, I have never looked back. At 6'4 Diaz has a high jumping reach (16) and is physically imposing (strength 15), which ensures he is successful in the majority of his aerial duels (75%). This presence has led to him scoring three goals in 11 games (our highest scoring central defender), lets hope he continues to impress across 2025/26.
THE SQUAD PROFILE
The usual visualisation showing the spread of minutes played vs age for the 2024/25 season.
This time I have tweaked the squad profile, making some improvements to the visualisation, including the 'Peak' band which easily highlights the bulk of my squad are in the peak stage of their career. The segments either side are youth, and experienced, whilst on the topi of youth, I have changed the colour of players which have stemmed from the Académie.
I am extremely hopeful, that as we progress through another season there will be a few more Académie players included in this visual, ideally with the yellow dots becoming the minority. In 2024/25 it is pleasing to see that both Bastien Meupiyou and Nathan Zeze have progressed from their breakthrough season, firmly establishing themselves as first team regulars, both securing over the average minutes for the campaign.
The above is the Nantes All Time XI, wouldn't it be impressive if I can populate this fully with Académie players. Now that would be something, although given where we are in the game cycle, I think it would be some kind of miracle.
FORWARD LOOK
First starting point, the transfer market, you will see that we moved on seven players from the club, all securing transfer fees below £10 million, the clubs record fee received £12.8 million for Diego Carlos, is safe for now.
Samuel Moutoussamy's deal to Ipswich for £8.5 million was the most significant, despite Samuel playing less than average minutes, he was the club vice-captain, and an influence off the park. Secondly, with FC Copenhagen securing the services of our back-up goal keeper, there was a need to delve into the transfer market again.
PLAYERS IN
Owusu-Oduro was signed from AZ for a package deal totalling £9 million (£4.5 million upfront and the rest in two instalments over the year). The 21 year old was happy to sign, knowing he will play back-up to Lafont, he is capped by the Dutch national side (2) and could develop nicely into a Ligue 1 standard player.
The second signing is that of Ryan Francisco (£3.7 million) who was identified by our scout in Brazil, the 18 year old has a bucket load of strengths, which he demonstrated for Sao Paulo's youth side, scoring 38 goals in 47 appearances. Ryan will play his first campaign with the reserves, we will use this to establish his pathway compared to others at this level.
The above provides you a flavour of what is potentially to come, first choice players, their back-up/rotation, along with the best youth player available in third place.
Another affiliate has been added to our ranks, this time Bastia, who find themselves in the National league. This provides us with another outlet to send promising youth to gain experience a league above our reserves side, whilst the previous arrangement with Grenoble, enables us to send players to the second tier, ideally their final stage of development, prior to being involved with the first team.
@_Ben_ asked what my short, and long-term aims were for the save, I have previously covered what I want to achieve in the long-term in my review of season one, with three key objectives.
Become the leading French Académie
Given such an emphasis on the development of youth, it I want Nantes to become the leading pipeline for French talent. Now within this aim there are two foci, the first being that I would love to play a Ligue 1 game with a starting XI which have been harvested from the Académie. Secondly, it want my youth side to become the dominant force in youth football, not only in France, but on the continent.
We want to become multiple UEFA Youth League Champions, winning the domestic title is simply not enough ( a feat we have achieved in both seasons).
The above result was from the 2024/25 UEFA Youth League Semi-Final, we were in touching distance of the Final. Bayern ran out eventual winners, defeating FK Crvena zvezda Beograd Under 19s 1-0 in the Final.
*note to self send scouts to Serbia
Improve 'the League of Talents' coefficient
After last seasons drop in coefficients, France have moved themselves back into fifth place, picking up a total of 16.857 points (4th). We managed to fly the flag for France after our successful run in the Champions League, whilst Lens progressed all the way to the Semi-Final of the UEFA Europa League, suffering to a defat to Bayer Leverkusen.
This progress will provide French sides with a additional place in the UEFA Champions League from 2026/27.
Recruit talent from Africa
As previously covered, as we are drawing down more revenue, and in turn profit. We can look to expand our scouting team, ensuring we have extensive experience from different continents.
Currently we have 12 scouts out on assignments, two of which are on set to Africa. Unfortunately, the early signs haven't been too promising with the recruitment focuses providing minimal returns. Therefore, I will next manually set scouts to view players from some of the key nations U20, and U19 teams.
Au revoir!