SteinkelssonFM

AUGUST 2024 We did make one final signing before the start of the season, bringing in David Raya from Brentford for £6.5 million. David is from X which now means that we have a first team squad that the majority is now from within 'The Crown of Aragon', his signing takes us to 52% (12 of the 23). Comparing both keepers it is clear to see that Raya will play as back-up and most likely feature in the easier La Liga matches and Copa del Rey. Raya does lead in one area 'Eccentricity', a characteristic which has graced some of the best goalkeepers of the past. What can we expect from a goalkeeper with high eccentricity, apart from the unexpected. If playing as a sweeper-keeper or a patient build-up then the GK can play a more prominent role - warning there is a risk he may dwell on the ball or try to beat the pressure. Rushing out - more likely to stray outside of box to oppose oppositions strikers. Crazy saves - this attribute can lead to some world class saves, although some of the easier lower xG chances may well creep into the net. --- Betis 0-3 Villarreal We started the season off with a victory over Betis in a fixture which both sides seen a similar share of the ball (51% Betis, 49% Villarreal). The home side were the most dominant for the first period accumulating 10 shots, along with creating the only clear cut chance of the game. We had a OPPDA of 4.31 compared to their 6.15 showing the higher level of intensity without the ball. Pablo Fornals leading by example winning five tackles, showing that he is used to operating in a highly competitive Premier League. Oscar Gil made a total of eight interceptions down the right-flank, which is credit to his 18 work Rate and 16 Stamina. MOTM: Gerard Moreno (2 goals and 1 assist) --- Villarreal 5-0 Levante The first home game of the season was business as usual as we dispatched Levante in style with a rotated side, this is reflected in all of the above visualisations. The double-pivot partnership of Joan González and Pablo Fornals worked exceptionally well, with Joan winning 100% of his tackles operating as an effective screen in front of the defence. Whilst Fornals passing was key in ensuring we were dominant in the central column as the midfielder progressed and recycled possession in both the attacking third and moving from the transitional phase of the game. MOTM: Yeremy Pino (seven key passes, one assist, one goal) * remember @Lasson my Trequartista 'Sits Narrow' and has the following player instructions. --- Real Madrid have started the season like a freight train, scoring 12 goals in the process, Almeria continue their impressive form which has seen the side finish in sixth place in both season one and two. We have taken maximum points off all opponents which we face in September, apart from Barcelona. We will be playing them at the Lluis Companys (Olympic stadium) as the Spotify Camp Nou is currently undergoing some construction work.

@Lasson I don't think it had a massive impact as Yeremy still often plays that pass, which is more than likely associated with our mid block (looking to exploit space in behind). What is has done is provided the defensive unit with another problem. When the CWB bombs forward Yeremy often dribbles inside which opens up another passing lane to either the CF or IW which I think was a factor in him getting more assists last season. Two options are better than one right lol.

@Hootieleece 'The Magic Rectangle' has been excellent, which has reflected in our league form across both seasons. I think the tactic has a good balance between attacking threat and defensive stability which is exactly what you want if you aren't a top tier side. This has reflected in some of the results which we have managed to secure across season two. My highlight was the UCL game against Manchester City (first leg), which was an absolute classic. I have seen quite a few people using a similar system this year, I think the double pivot in the DM strata seems to be very effective in the ME.

Season Three - Pre Season I probably should have added a squad depth picture at the end of the last long-piece, I didn't. Therefore, above you can see how the Villarreal squad lines up for season three - the season in which we will look to take some points from the 'Big Three' and also hunt for the La Liga trophy. Can it be done, time will tell...one thing to aid the performance of our players a big fat pay-out if this can be achieved, I selected the largest bonus available for domestic success. Above is an image of the experience matrix from within the 'Squad Planner'. The latest movements in the transfer market have the playing staff mainly it the 'Emerging' or 'Peak' stages of their careers, meaning if this squad can stay together then the next few years are the prime time for the cycle before the dynamics change again. Pre-season was a blast, many wins, many goals, and two notable victories over Chelsea and FC Bayern, both of which were at full strength. There are two remaining fixtures which span August...Real Betis (Away) and Levante (H). Dominik Szoboszlai has been the largest transfer in the window to-date, Liverpool secured his signature for £70 million, his value sky-rocketed to an estimated £161-177 million.

Just out of curiosity have you managed to beat Real Madrid?! Your form in La Liga took a bit of a downward turn, any particular reasoning? At least you have managed to stay on point in Europe.

Looking forward to the next update, if you've been reading my thread you will know I have played FM23 with a similar system in Villarreal. Top work as always 💪

Wishing you all the best for the final couple of fixtures, look forward to the next update...hope you are feeling better 💪

LA FURIA ROJA — SEASON TWO It’s a marathon not a sprint, that is the motto for this years edition of FM. Historical form would see me at least a few seasons down the line at the festive period and here I am on Christmas Eve starting to write my review of season two in charge of Villarreal. My update of season one was an in-depth focus on Yeremy Pino, the player which I have chosen to hopefully become a club legend with The Yellow Submarines (one of my objectives). Therefore, it is on the subject of Yeremy that I will open this blog, consistency is key right? Looking at the above progress visualisation shows how the Spaniard is continuing to progress in relation to his development. At the end of season one he was labelled as a ‘Wonderkid’ by the media, he now has the media description of ‘Elite winger’. The training process has not changed since I covered it earlier in my thread over on the SI Forum, in which I have a weeks training for when we play stronger opposition and another schedule for when we play weaker opposition. The training schedule has had a positive impact on Yeremy’s attributes and he has seen significant progress in the following areas. *Note I have only highlighted attributes associated to the role of Trequartista which have seen an increase. Technical Attributes: Dribbling +2 and Passing +1. Mental Attributes: Anticipation +2, Composure +1, Decisions +1, and Off the Ball +2. Physical Attributes: Acceleration +1, Agility +1, and Balance +2 You will also note that Pino has adopted the traits ‘Tries Tricks’ and ‘Tries Killer Balls Often’. These improvements have lead to Yeremy having a standout season in both La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, the above visualisation helps to demonstrate how effective the Spaniard has been. First and foremost, let’s take a look at his creative outputs, Yeremy has an open play expected assist per 90 of 0.28, this is 0.19 more than the La Liga average for creative forwards. His actual output of 17 assists across all competitions (3192 minutes) equals an assist per 90 of 0.48! We can thank Fer Niño for helping Yeremy’s assist figure as the striker scored 39 goals across all competitions (31 in La Liga and 8 in European competition), this led to him securing the ‘Pachichi’ and the ‘European Golden Shoe’ beating Karim Benzema (28) of Real Madrid and Arnaud Kalimuendo (26) of Rennes. Secondly, looking at his attacking output Yeremy has a non penalty expected gaols figure of 0.31, again this is 0.18 higher than the La Liga average. Yeremy managed to hit the back of the net 16 times across the campaign (13 in La Liga and 3 in Europe). His outputs for the season were higher than in season one (13 goals and 10 assists), scoring and assisting double figure numbers also meant that the following statement which I made in ‘THE CROWN OF ARAGON — FANTASISTA’ was met. Whilst I am happy with this, I would like to see him secure a greater number of assists compared to goals scored, although I would like both outputs to be stay in the double figure realms. The below spreadsheet which compares statistical outputs across seasons for individuals, produced by Ben on the SI Forum shows that Yeremy has improved across all attacking statistics. It is this improvement which has helped Yeremy to pick up the second best average rating in La Liga, topped only by teammate and fellow countryman Fer Nino. The simply magnificent performances, which spanned across the duration of the season from both players, secured them both slots in the La Liga Team of the Season, the first non Real Madrid/Barcelona players to secure places in the select group since starting the save. Yeremy demonstrated his ability to perform in the UEFA Champions League, securing the third best average rating and leading the charts for assists (6) with teammate Gerard Moreno. For those of you who haven’t been following along in the thread we secured top place in the Group Stage before being knocked out to eventual winners Manchester City. LA LIGA I am opening this section with a quote from Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski. Clubs spending on salaries was extremely telling, the size of the wage bill explained a massive 92% of variation in their league positions. In short, wages buy success. You will see from the above ‘Salary per annum’ that we currently hold the seventh highest salary in La Liga. Therefore, using the above quotation, our media predication of finishing in fourth place was already outperforming our positioning based on salary. Our second place finish was exceptional and honestly after looking at the results, I have got to say that I simply could not have done more. Season two has been smashing and some might say if we didn’t win it then…will we ever? Comparing our general performances from season one, it is clear to see that we have become a little more aggressive in attack. This is reflected in our increased goals per game and shots per game, the quality of shot has not decreased (note our expected goals per game). However, we have conceded more, although the expected goals against per game has decreased. It was always going to be hard for Rulli to maintain such a high save percentage across two campaigns. Despite having improved from season one, there is one trend which has continued across both years, a trend of significant value in our attempts to be crowned ‘Kings of La Liga’. Our inability to secure results against the ‘Big Three’, this is clear for the world to see, if we are going to secure the title then we MUST improve when facing the Super-clubs of Spain. LA FURIA ROJA Yeremy Pino now has a worldwide reputation, this paired with his consistency on the pitch has secured him a call up to La Furia Roja, the Spanish national side. He joined four other Villarreal players in the squad selected to play in the UEFA European Championships in Germany 2024. Here is a little update on how the quintet performed for Roberto Martínez side. Unlike the World Cup of 2022 in which both Gerard Moreno and Pau Torres both played peripheral parts in Luis Enrique’s side, four of Villarreal’s player played over 52% of the total minutes which Spain accumulated in the tournament, one which they ended up winning. Yeremy Pino was the only Villarreal player to start the tournament as Spain hit Wales for five goals. Pau Torres was introduced on the 59th minute, replacing Thiago, Pino assisted Rodri in the 34th minute and picked up an average rating of 7.6. The other goals were scored by Ferran Torres (Brace), Ansu Fati, and Aymeric Laporte. Portugal were up next and again the only player to start was Yeremy Pino, with Aymeric Laporte and Eric García favoured in defence, whilst Ferran Torres leads the line in the Spanish 4–2–3–1. Gerard Moreno and Pau Torres entered the action in the 75th minute for Rodri and Ansu Fati, the final score was 1–1 after Rafael Leão scored a very late equaliser after Ferran Torres opened the scoring early on. Slovenia were up next, starts were handed to both Torres (Double Pivot role in CM) and Gerard Moreno lead the line. Despite Spain’s dominence (2.24 xG plays 0.24) the deadlock could not be broken. Yeremy Pino was introduced for the last 15 minutes to see if he could find the killer pass to beat ‘Man of the Match’ Jan Oblak. Spain topped the group thanks to goals scored and progressed to the knock-out stages. (0–0) Serbia were Spain’s opponents in the second round, a game in which Moreno was trusted with the starting birth up top, the Villarreal player walked off with the match ball after scoring a 20 minute hat-trick. Pino played the full 90 minutes along with Torres who partnered Rodri in the double-pivot. Jorge Cuenca secured his first minutes in this match, coming on in the 71st minute for the other goal scorer Aymeric Laporte. (4–1) Gareth Southgate’s England were up next in a game which seen the lead exchange hands three times. Foden opened the scoring before Yeremy Pino assisted Pedri to level the score. Pino secured Spain the lead before Jude Bellingham took the game into extra-time. The result was secured by Gerard Moreno in the first period of extra-time, Pino played 120 minutes, Moreno replaced Ferran Torres after the first-half, whilst Pau Torres partnered Laporte, this time at centre-back. (3–2 aet) Fer Nino made his first appearance against the Netherlands, as Roberto Martínez opted to start Gerard Moreno from the right-wing. Pau Torres was the only other started as Pino didn’t feature and Jorge Cuenca was brough on for extra-time, Pedri scoring the decisive goal to take Spain to the Final. Roberto Martínez again made wholesale changes for the Final against Germany, adopting a 3–4–2–1 formation with Pino the only starter. Our boy scored Spain’s second after Marc Cucurella opened the scoring as Spain were crowned Champions. (2–1). FORWARD LOOK The plan is to have one more stab at La Liga, if we are to be crowned ‘Champions of Spain’ then I needed to make a number of changes to refresh the squad, given the ageing side which we had, along with players who were in the final year of their playing years. There were quite a few players out the door, 10 to be exact, which generated the club an additional £57 million to spend. Jorge Cuenca (24) to Arsenal £32 million. Boulaye Dia (27) to Real Sociedad for £6.25 million. Manu Trigueros (32) to Real Sociedad for £6 million. Dani Tasende (24) to Betis for £3.8 million. Ivan Martin (25) to Getafe for £2.2 million. Francis Coquelin (33) to Zenit for £2 million. Aïssa Mandi (32) to Leicester for £2 million. Kiko Femenía (33) to Rayo Vallecano de Madrid for £1.5 million. Johan Mojica (31) to Galatasaray for £900k. Adrián De la Fuente (25) to real Valladolid for £425k We also had the following three players make the decision to hang up their boots. Raúl Albiol retired at 38. Étienne Capoue retired at 36. José Luis Morales retired at 37. TRANSFERS IN The defence is as good a place to start as any, we sold Jorge Cuenca to Arsenal, our back up and only other left-sided centre-back other than Pau Torres. Our primary target Mario Gila opted to join Monaco, stating he felt they had a better squad than us. His signature would have cost £7.25 million, therefore the signing of both Víctor Chust and Rodrigo Tarín was made for a combined fee of £3.7 million. Álex Centelles was signed for £14 million from Almeria, the 24-year-old will provide competition for Alfonso Pedraza as our wing-back down the left flank. Centelles is a slightly more technical player with better decision making skills. However, he most likely wont be as effective without possession. Víctor Chust was signed from Cadiz for £1.9 million, at 24 we have signed a player who is about to enter into his prime. Chust is the more defensive player when comparing him to Tarin, his concentration and decision making skills paired with strength and jumping reach leads me to believe he will be an effective presence at the back. Rodrigo Tarín was signed for £1.8 million from Real Oviedo, despite playing in the second tier I believe the 28-year-old can be utilised as a back-up to Torres (no side preference when playing in a defensive duo). There is also potential for Tarin to be re-trained as a defensive midfielder. Moving onto the midfield, we have two big names to announce at the club, both of which will no doubt show that we not only mean business but absolutely improve this unit when comparing to last season. Pablo Fornals was transfer listed by West Ham after the English side felt he was of no use to them (madness). This mean that the midfielder and model citizen was available at a cut price (£30 million), which is still a club record fee. Pablo is a player which I have wanted to sign since setting my eyes on the list of players which are available within the realms of ‘The Crown of Aragon’. I am hoping that his first touch paired with his technical ability and agility will make him a handful to play against in the role of inverted winger on support. Sander Berge is another player that needs no introductions, the 26-year-old joins us from Sheffield United after failing to agree a new contract. The Norwegian is 6′ 4'’ and will add some additional height to the side (our tallest player), he has a strong mental profile, along with an exceptional pivot (Passing 14 , Technique 14 , and Vision 14) along with great Strength (15), I think he can operate in the role of SV similar to a prime Michael Ballack. Last but not least the attack, we lost José Luis Morales to retirement and therefore needed a player to play as the complete forward (support) and second string to Gerard Moreno. Abel Ruiz is the man who we opted to bring in from Football Club København for £11 million. His traits of ‘Moves Into Channels’, ‘Plays With Back To Goal’ and ‘Plays One-Two’s’ goes a long way in highlighting how he can operate on the field of play. At 24 years of age there is still room for him to develop and take Moreno’s spot as the 32 year-old declines. THE CROWN OF ARAGON The above visualisation goes to show where our eleven players in the first-team come from within the realms of the crown. We have 48% of the senior squad from within the region and 70% of the squad are Spanish nationals. As I enter Season Three we are one signing away from having the majority of the squad from the realm. To those of you who have yet to try a regionnaire save, I highly recommend it as it stops you from signing players which you/other normally gravitate towards and provides a nice challenge.

Those momentum visuals in the latest update 😬 any reason why your right hand side is performing better than the left? I may well be reading too much into the visual.

Apologies @Lasson for all those who are interested... The Engineer and his magic rectangle.fmf

@SixPointer I really couldn't be happier with the performances which Fer and Yeremy have been able to consistently put in across the season. As @_Ben_ stated, I really don't think we could have done anything more this season, some of the football we have been playing has been phenomenal. The tactic @HowzatFM has not changed since I have shared it earlier in the thread, what had changed over time is the player traits which I have been working on to try and make those marginal gains in terms of what the players do on the pitch. @GIMN I have started to write up a season review which will be my next post on the thread. The phrase 'going all in' comes to mind with regards to next seasons plans. Keep your eyes peeled, I hope you all and others lurking have had an amazing Christmas.

SEVEN from Strand Larsen in the Copa del Rey! On target to beat the 6th place finish from last season 🤞

An absolute head spinner of a finish, so happy with what this team has achieved over the two seasons. I think one more stab at the La Liga title and then start up another save now that the increased realism pack is out.

Villarreal vs Granada One minute into the game and a deep cross from Pedraza is directed into the back of the net by Fer Nino, the news will surely be filtering down to Real Madrid - we are now joint on points with Madrid and need Real Sociedad to work some magic. It looks as if we spoke too soon, a double whammy as Madrid and Benzema react. Fer Nino doubles the lead, if we don't win the title then he wants to finish the campaign as top scorer. Let's not forget a defeat for Granada will send them down, this game is just as important for them as it is for us! The match ball belongs to Fer Nino after Oscar Gil finds the striker with a pin-point cross. Danjuma scores his first goal of the season, nothing like leaving it until the last minute! This goal now takes us level on goals scored with Barcelona, joint second place in La Liga. Parejo scores from the spot, we now are the second highest scorers in La Liga, one goal off Real Madrid. In all the madness, Real have scored again - they don't want us to take that crown either. The half-time chat was about complacency, two minutes and and we concede (sigh) We react through Moreno, maybe the talk worked after all. Meanwhile, Madrid is bouncing - the party has well and truly started. FOUR goal haul for Fer Nino! We are now back on level terms with Madrid in terms of goals scored. Iker Bravo scored from a Fer Nino assists - top scorers in La Liga! Thank you kindly Sir! Again, those horrible B*stards men have something to say, at least Benzema only has one goal. What a performance. The final league table in all its glory. I am just going to leave this one here!

Villarreal 3-0 Valencia Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia missed a massive opportunity to give their fans something to cheer for this season, a victory would have made up for their likely 7th placed finish and lack of European football next season. Gerard Moreno made sure it was not to be, the striker scored his 100th and 101st goal in the Yellow of Villarreal in what turned out to be our best performance against bitter rivals. Nino's goal now sees him lead the way in the hunt for individual accolades, what a player he is. Real Madrid pick up the victory at home, it all comes down to the final game of the season, we need Real Sociedad to win as the head-to-head isn't in our favour. (neither is the goals scored or goal difference!).

Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Villarreal The home side put up a spirited fight in the first-half of the game, which was reflected in their seven first half shots, compared to three after the break. Fer Niño opened the scoring after some good work from Yeremy Pino (assist), before Ivan Balliu equalised. Fer Niño scored again on the 60th minute before Pau Torres completed the scoring in the 90th minute. MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals) the striker has now scored 34 goals (the same as last season). However, he has seven more in La Liga this time around. There is one goal now separating Fer from Karim Benzema in the race for the Pachichi. Meanwhile in Sevilla...

The Big One It wasn't to be...thanks to each and everyone of you for wishing me good luck going into the Real Madrid match. It is crazy how FM continues to replicate similar patters, you may remember that we went a goal up against Madrid last season only to concede two goals in quick succession, to lose the game at the Santiago Bernabeu. We went ahead early doors thanks to Yeremy Pino before Rafa Mir and Monchu (yes our transfer target scored past us) put Madrid in front. Domenico Berardi extended the lead before Iker Bravo pulled one back for us, we were in the game for a spell after our goal, as reflected in the match momentum visual. The problem with chasing the game is that you are open to the counter, which Madrid pulled off to perfection and Mir scored his second of the match. He was then shown a second Yellow, before Pino added his second in injury time. We completed more passes 522 vs 512 Had more share of the ball 51% vs 49% More passes in the final third 59 vs 53 Not bad considering Real Madrid's salary is five times that of our own. The defeat shatters our dreams of winning the league. However, I am extremely proud of the sides achievements this year. Three games to go,

April 2024 Barcelona 4-2 Villarreal This defeat to Barcelona really hurt, we showed every bit of character to come back from two goals down thanks to gaols from Yeremy Pino and Fer Nino, with 17 minutes left on the clock we had hope. Frank Kessie had a different opinion and when Jorge Cuenca fouled Raphinha in the box the Ivorian picked up the ball and slammed it past Rulli, the Argentinian deciding to have one of his worst games in a Villarreal shirt, conceding shots with 0.04,0.06, and 0.15. Barcelona now find themselves MOTM: Gerard Moreno (2 assists) --- Betis 1-2 Villarreal Despite the result, today was not a day for finishing (missed chances of 0.32, 0.28, 0.26, 0.24, and 0.23) and it was only the injection of three attack-minded players at the break which really swung the result in our favour. The first goal was a delight, a quick break down the left enabled Chukwueze to find Iker Bravo on the edge of the box, the striker worked the ball onto his right foot and curled it past the Betis keeper. MOTM: Samuel Chukwueze (1 assist) Elsewhere in the world Barcelona hammered Espanyol 5-0, whilst Madrid defeated Granada 4-0. --- The run in, on current form I think Barcelona are the side which I would be putting my money on...it is going to be another close one! --- Villarreal 3-1 Espanyol Nino scored his 50th and 51st goals for the Yellow submarine, whilst Iker Bravo added his 16th of the campaign as we romped to a much needed victory. The Spaniard has now scored three more league goals than last season, and is four goals off his total number scored in the last campaign. MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals, 1 assist) --- Villarreal 4-0 Real Sociedad It isn't the result which pleases me the most, it is the form of Fer Nino at this point of the season. The striker has 10 goal contributions (7 goals, 3 assists) in La Liga, if we are going to maintain our form and achieve the unthinkable then it will be his performances that drive us across the line in pole position. MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals, 1 assist) --- One final push, we have four games left...

MARCH 2024 Four La Liga games and four victories as we continue our push in the league, looking at the league table below you will see that we hold a two point lead over Real Madrid with eight games remaining. You can see that we didn't progress in the UCL, but still managed to secure the draw against Manchester City. Work has been a little busy so this update is short and sweet. However, you will be pleased it is business as usual from here on in. @NeedNoLicense the tactic hasn't changes since earlier in the thread Nino is playing in the role of Advanced Froward on attack with a healthy supply line, I can not see him fail to perform for you. @john1 @SixPointer @rich ruzzian apologies for the mini update - as for your question in relation to scouting replacement - in short the answer is no...my priority at present is a right-footed CB. The shortlist above are all from within the realms of 'the Crown' and the two which I am watching closely are Mario Gila of Lazio and Victor Chust from Cadiz. April we play 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 8th. First up Barcelona who are six games without defeat before travelling to the green side of Sevilla to face Mr Pellegrini.

FEBRUARY 2024 LA LIGA Huesca 1-1 Villarreal The game at the El Alcoraz in Huesca was tough, Jorge Sampaoli’s side were well drilled and hard to break down, which reflected in our inability to create any clear cut chances in the match. Saying that Huesca did catch us on an off day in relation to bringing our shooting boots, the above two images show our shots on target (left), of which only the goals and one save were from within the box. Whilst on the other side you can see we had six chances inside the box where the players either skied the ball or hit the post (Yeremy Pino). Whilst on the subject of our Fantasista, Yeremy was on the verge of writing his name into lore as he stood on the verge of becoming Villarreal’s leader for assists in a season. He needed one to beat the existing record of 12, which he secured in playing in Gerard Moreno for the opening goal. MOTM: Julián Aude --- Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (AET) We have a good record against Barcelona, having yet to concede defeat to them in three La Liga matches. I opted to play a slightly rotated side for the Quarter Final, this is due to playing Athletic Club in four days time, an opponent which we have only defeated once. Stupidly I forgot to add substitutes in when selecting the match day squad, Barcelona’s ability to bring on four fresh players whilst my starting eleven were run into the ground was the difference. I guess we will never know what advantage the fresh legs would bring us, the visitors scored twice in extra-time to see them progress into the Semi-Final. MOTM: Frenkie de Jong the Dutchman completed 90% of his passes and made four dribbles, along with contributing with both a goal and assist. --- The following week is HUGE for the club as we face Athletic Club, Sevilla and Atletico over a crazy six day period, the results from these three games could well define our season. We will not hold back and will be looking to play our best XI at each and every opportunity. The first game is at the Estadio de La Cerámica, before travelling to both Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. Villarreal 1-1 Athletic Club An early gift was presented to Athletic Club by Geronimo Rulli, as Mr Reliable panicked with the ball at his feet and played a loose pass straight to Raul Garcia, to slide home. Thankfully we managed to bring the score back on level terms through Gerard Moreno, the news story from this game was the half-time substitution of Fer Nino. I think his performances are being impacted due to the lack of game time, he took a minor knock a few weeks back which meant he missed the Huesca match and was an unused substitute for the Copa del Rey match against Real Zaragoza, meaning he hasn’t played close to a full match since playing Granada, eight games ago. MOTM: Gerard Moreno --- Sevilla 0-3 Villarreal Sevilla were the form side in La Liga going into this fixture and a victory could bring them within five points of ourselves in second place. We were hit with the news that Yeremy Pino picked up a minor injury before the game meaning, he would be fit to play but with limited condition. We took the choice to not include him in the match day squad and offer a starting birth to Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian played a massive role in our victory, leaving the field with the most dribbles (4), key passes (4) and the highest xA rating of 0.7. (one for you @Shrewnaldo) As you can see he operated from a slightly deeper position, this enabled him to complete the highest progressive passes (8). He also made 3 tackles and five interceptions from deep and used his ability to progress the ball from deep via running. The result now provides us with an eight point gap between us and Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who are both on 49 points, we are a single point behind Madrid who top La Liga. MOTM: Fer Niño, back on the scoresheet with a brace. --- Club Atlético de Madrid 1-0 Villarreal Another textbook José Mourinho performance as we succumbed to defeat away in Madrid, in a game in which we should have at least secured a point. Shots on target 6 to their 5 Expected goals 1.63 to their 1.34 Clear cut chances 2 to their 0. Final third passes 64 to their 52. Kudos to the AI as they have Mourinho down to perfection. MOTM: João Félix --- Villarreal 3-1 Getafe Three goals scored in a six minute period was enough to secure the three points against Getafe, a result which keeps us in second place in La Liga. The table is starting to tighten up with only eight points separating 1dt from 5th. It looks like we could be set for some fireworks as we approach the business end of the season. @Hootieleece you called it! Fer Nino is still in the race to the Pachichi, he is four goals behind Karim Benzema, can we tick off another one of our objectives come the end of the campaign? --- UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Manchester City 5-4 Villarreal What a game, despite having 86% less final third passes (93 vs 37), we managed to come away from the game with our heads held high. Manchester City showed the gulf in talent with the likes of Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker completing an obscene amount of dribbles (8 and 6) as their pace was far too much to handle. 0a7bd54f670033b31d2f8f6db3534c8b.mp4 Yeremy Pino scored the goal of the game, the technique to hit the ball on the volley and direct it into the top corner was absolutely sublime. Haaland isn’t bad either, walking off the pitch with four goals, doubling his xG of 2.0. MOTM: Erling Haaland (4 goals) --

A tactical masterclass from you against PSV, dropping those wing-backs certainly provided that defensive stability and as for the return leg bravo. You were certainly unfortunate against Celtic and the red card didn't help, but as you said the UCL was ahead of schedule... hopefully the Europa League is the platform to earn you some extra dollar along with picking up some vital coefficient points.

Plenty of games played, you had quite the baptism of fire. How reliant do you think you are on the goals of Becker? Enjoying the detail and seems like you are also buying into what looks like will be a good long term project.

JANUARY 2024 Transfer Window Update Real Madrid came in with a huge offer of £84 million for Yeremy Pino, the structure of the deal was one which would not have been favourable to Villarreal as Los Blancos wanted to pay £43.5 million up front with a further two payments of £20 million after 12 and 24 months, the deal also included a 30% clause of profit from next sale. If Real Madrid wanted their man, we would expect them to stump up £100 million for the 21-year-old, with at least £80 million up front. They opted to not pursue the deal and signed £170 million worth of talent on deadline day. Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo £85 million. Jota of Celtic £27.5million. Rafa Mir of Sevilla £40.5 million. Their final transfer was to secure the signing of Monchu from Real Valladolid, a player which we had been keeping a close eye on and one which we were keen to sign in the next window. Monchu was signposted as the replacement for Dani Parejo, he was born in Palma de Mallorca (Crown of Aragon) and possessed two pro’s within his scout report which I often look for, consistent performer and enjoys big matches. Real Madrid met his minimum fee release clause of £16.75 million on deadline day, we matched the bid even though we didn’t have the funds available, a cheeky ploy to attempt to stall the deal. It didn’t work as he opted for a move to the capital. The second player who we rejected a bid from Real Madrid, was Fer Nino. Again, the structure of the deal was not favourable for us as a club, if we are to sell a prized asset we need to have capital in the bank now to fund a deal for a replacement. However, this time the player was not keen on the move, he favoured a move to Manchester United, the bid from them never came. We did see some movement away from the club, an offer was submitted from Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga for Manu Morlanes. We negotiated the price and managed to secure £15 million for the midfielder, the fee means that only £6 million initially will be outgoing for the signing of Maxence Caqueret. The knock on effect enables us to have a surplus of £15 million to invest into the team, the first position we looked to improve was that of the complete wing back. I have been tracking Óscar Gil of Espanyol for a little while, the 25-year-old was born in Elche (tick), and had a release clause of £11 million. The additional monies was utilised to secure the services of Iker Bravo, remember we had an optional future fee set into the loan deal for £6.5 million. The fee seems so small for a player who already at 19-years of age has a non-penalty expected goals output of 0.79 (elite), averaging 1.99 shots on target per 90 (good), and 22% conversion rate (2% off elite). We also dipped our toes into the market for a replacement for Etienne Capoue, who has made the decision to hang up his boot after this season. His replacement Sander Berge who we pick up on a free transfer after he decided to run his contract down with Sheffield United. Sander is a player who I have admired but never took the option to purchase him on previous editions of FM, I hope he can deliver for us in this save. We have sent the scouts to conduct assignments on a range of players from within our primary scouting region, I will be looking to secure the signing of a player of the similar mould to Dani Parejo, along with a complete forward, given the age of José Luis Morales (36 years of age), who currently plays back-up to Gerard Moreno. --- LA LIGA Two away victories followed up by another home win helped us to continue our challenge for the La Liga title. Yeremy Pino’s form has not been affected as the Spaniard scored three goals and picking up an assist against Levante, our Fantasista has now contributed with seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions. Maxence Caqueret also managed to score a debut goal for the club in what was a busy month of away fixtures. I also took the decision to promote Adrián De la Fuente into the first-team at the expense of 38-year-old Raúl Albiol. The 24-year-old is a very consistent performer and I am hoping for him to provide another option as the right-sided centre back. --- Copa del Rey Three away games in the Spanish Cup and three positive results, Oscar Gill was the star of the show as the debutant provided not one, not two, but three assists to score a perfect 10, a match to remember. Iker Bravo continued to use the cup as his playground and his form in the competition was one of the drivers behind me having confidence that his signature should be secured for the club. --- Plenty of football still to be played, the Atletico game away in the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano could not have come at a worse time as three days later we have to travel to Manchester in the Champions League. Do we go for redemption in Madrid or look to play for the draw and then try and navigate Man City who are top of the Premier League with Erling Haaland scoring 15 goals in 17 league games, 20 in 24 in all competitions.

I will make sure I cover transfers in the next monthly update along with plans etc. One thing is that the talent pool from within the realms is a little limited in terms of improvement, we will continue to look within before broadening the horizons. We had a great run, the defeat now provides me with a new target...beat the 38 games! Champions League is going to be extremely tough. However, I am really proud of the lads in being able to navigate the group stage, the additional income has been so so helpful, it has enabled me to keep on pumping up the wage budget.

December 2023 Real Sociedad 2-5 Villarreal A thrilling game away in San Sebastián which was packed with plenty of goals, made this great viewing for the neutral. Three goals from Álex Collado ensured we moved back in front of Real Madrid to the top of La Liga, we secured the result despite going a goal behind in the second minute. If I am being critical, we lacked a little bite in the central areas which is reflected in both the player ratings above and the statistical data which showed that 24 of the 54 occasions which we've allowed the opposition into the attacking third of the pitch came from central positions. For context, Álex Collado has produced 19 dribbles and 29 key passes in 15 appearances for Villarreal. --- Villarreal 2-4 Club Atlético de Madrid José Mourinho puts an end to our 38 game undefeated streak at home, our first defeat at Estadio de La Cerámica. His side twice came from behind, before putting us under significant pressure in the second-half in which they accelerated away from us, ending up 4-2 winners. The results was deserved with Club Atlético de Madrid winning the xG battle, our goal was under constant fire. MOTM: Antoine Griezmann --- Valencia 0-1 Villarreal The Derbi de la Comunitat, away at the Mestalla. What a fixture to have to see if we can bounce back from the last result. We have a good record in the Derby, drawing both fixtures in La Liga last season and picking up the victory in the Copa del Rey Quarter Final. We racked up an xG of 2.29 xG against Valencia's 0.30, let that settle in...0.30! Valencia didn't test Gerónimo Rulli, of their four shots taken, three were blocked and the other off target. MOTM: Gerard Moreno (92% pass completion, 2 key passes, 1 goal) --- Villarreal 1-0 Rayo Vallecano Looking to build up our home record again, we made hard work of dispatching Ray Vallecano. Fer Nino had a poor day in front of goal, the striker only had 25% of his four shots on target and fluffed two clear cut chances. The star of the day was Kiko Femenia, the 32-year-old is excelling in the role of complete wing back on attack duty. In the game he completed...wait for it 18 dribbles! --- UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE We fielded a second string side in the only continental fixture of the month, we had the game against Club Atlético de Madrid a few days later and wanted to keep the heavy artillery fresh. The early momentum was with the home side, and they took the lead through Vitinha just before the break, this lead to the introduction of a few key personnel (Danjuma, Chukwueze and Parejo). The tipping point of the game was our equaliser, from that point on it was all Villarreal. We have well and truly flexed our muscles in Europe this year, performances to date have been of the highest calibre. MOTM: José Luis Morales (2 goals) --- The result secured us first place in Group D, this means that the list of potential of opponents for the knockout stage includes the following...Juventus (9pts), Man City (11pts), SL Benfica (11pts), FC Porto (13pts), Chelsea (13pts), Monaco (11pts), and PSG (6pts). Looking at the potential opponents, for me I would like to avoid PSG and both of the English clubs, whilst Juventus would be my favourable opponent. Oh the joys! --- One game away from the midpoint and we are sitting snug at the top of La Liga, early signs are indicating this year could well be a two horse race! Some standout team attacking stats are as follows. 41 goals scored (1st) Expected goals for 37.39 (3rd) Chances created 77 (3rd) Shots on target 123 (1st) Can we survive January's open window, interest is strong for a few of our players with Atletico keen on Jorge Cuenca, Juventus and Marseille showing major interest in Alfonso Pedraza, Milan and Newcastle in for Samuel Chukwueze and Manchester United and RB Leipzig hot on Fer Nino's tail.