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[FM17] Shield Wall - A Spartan Youth Challenge in Romania


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June 2029 - Career Progress

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Table

                                                                            Career Progress Table
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   League                                                          Cups                                     Europe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              2016-2017 Liga II- 2nd(promoted)                                 Quarter final(RC)                               N/A

              2017-2018 Liga I- 13th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                    N/A

              2018-2019 Liga I- 13th(7th in relegation group-relegated)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
              
              2019-2020 Liga II- 1st(promoted)                                 Semi-Final(RC)/8th final(RLC)                   N/A

              2020-2021 Liga I- 11th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/Final(RLC)                        N/A

              2021-2022 Liga I- 8th(5th in relegation group-survival)          7th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A

              2022-2023 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff- Euro Cup)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
 
              2023-2024 Liga I- 2nd(Champions via Playoff)                     6th Round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                 EL-Group Stage

              2024-2025 Liga I- 4th(2nd in Champions Playoff- CL)              Semi-final(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)         CL-Playoff/EL-first k.o.round
 
              2025-2026 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff)                  Final(RC)/Winners(RLC)                    EL-first k.o.round

              2026-2027 Liga I- 1st(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Winners(RLC)                        N/A

              2027-2028 Liga I- 2nd(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)            CL-Groups/EL-first k.o.round 
 
              2028-2029 Liga I- 3rd(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Winners(RLC)                    CL-Group Stage

 

Tracker

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4 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Tremendous progress!  Good to see Viitorul playing well, too. That was an incredibly brutal CL group.

thanks mate :) yeah, it's a few years now that we get some crazy draws in Europe. I'm starting to believe there's a tabu of some sort...But yeah, Viitorul are doing well, they have their ups and downs but usually they're in the top three best teams in the league either way. They're selling a lot of talent to be fair, if they had kept all of their academy products they'd be unstoppable

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I find it curious that you're dominating things domestically, but rarely win the regular stage league and rely on a good final stretch!

You look just short of being able to properly compete in Europe, reckon a couple more years and you'll be fighting to get out of the groups for real.

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2 hours ago, noikeee said:

I find it curious that you're dominating things domestically, but rarely win the regular stage league and rely on a good final stretch!

You look just short of being able to properly compete in Europe, reckon a couple more years and you'll be fighting to get out of the groups for real.

yes, we really have an issue with consistency. And luckily, so far we've managed to correct our own mistakes in the playoffs, but that's one of the many issues you're bound to be faced with when managing such a young squad - attributes for concentration, decisions and anticipation are really low overall and we struggle to see the match through in a lot of scenarios. I'm not sure about Europe... there are only 3 players in the first 11 that look ready for CL group-stage level football. Despite my continuous whining and bashing we've been overachieving greatly year after year in the CL so far. So unless we pull off some tactical magic I don't see us making it out of the groups  for a good 3-4 years...but hey :) who knows

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December 2029 - Why the devil not?

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after a highly successful season with the 4-4-1-1 (DM) I've decided I'm getting bored playing in such a uni-dimensional way. If you know me at least a little bit, you're probably aware I'm not really one to stick to what works just for the sake of it. I like to experiment, I love to twist and turn things on the pitch and see what I can learn from it. Considering that, as well as the presence of the highly praised Milas Ionita II amongst our ranks, I've decided to go a bit hipster this year:

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I've mentioned before, this player is an absolute monster for the standards of our league and considering my Libero experiments of late, I've decided to try developing a similar concept at Sparta. Given that my previous Libero case study was with Juventus, the current Sparta team prove to be an excellent scenario to observe the particularities of a Libero-based system in a lower level environment. You can notice that Milas isn't familiar with the SW role yet and neither does he excel in the technical department of the game, however he has really good physical stats for the role and some decent tactical attributes. The individual training for the Libero role has been assigned and we should see him getting increasingly familiar with that position with time. 

To start with, we will try a simplified version of the initial system described in the case study with Juventus. We lack the ability to try too many specialist roles, so instead we will try to create variety in our system through simple player roles that perform a number of different tasks. Additionally, we will have two versions of the system - one more attacking and the other more conservative, which we will use depending on the situation we're faced with on the pitch.

        system A: attack                                                                          system B: control/defend

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Both these systems are based on the same principles as the ones in case study A: total defending - defend deep and push high up the pitch when in possession, move as a unit both horizontally and vertically and aim to control possession by outnumbering the opposition in as many phases of play as possible. Instructions-wise, the two side-DM's are both told to get further forward so that they support the wide players and the SS/CM(A) in transitions. Additionally, they need to perform the mezz'ala role by drifting wide into the half spaces to cover for the RCB and LCB. 

Here are some examples of all of these principles working in-game:

 

Sparta Bucuresti vs. Atletico Madrid

a match in the group stages of the CL for which we were touted as definite outsiders:

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in this match we mainly used system A, until the dying minutes of the match when we switched to B to maintain the result.

the 3-5-2 shape that the team gets while we transition from defense to attack. At this point our DM's run forward and ease off the pressure on the DLP by dragging midfield markers with them high up the pitch

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the 3-3-4 shape we set out in attack, with the Libero and DLP alternating deep playmaking duties. We have 4 players who run into the final third with the two DM's running just behind them providing supporting duties, while the DLP/Libero provide deep passing options depending on who is better positioned to do so

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the three man pressing trap in the half spaces achieved through the use of the side DM's drifting wide. The DLP and the Libero provide covering options in this case, with either of them prepared to intercept any through balls from that area or help with man marking.

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our libero made the most interceptions in the team in this match:

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Top of the League in December:

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Champions League Death Group:

yet another year that the draws are the most c*nt'ish thing possible and we get three teams from the top 10 World Rankings in our group :lol:

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quite incredibly, we managed two wins and a draw at home as well as a 2 draws away to finish above Dortmund and Benfica, both football giants at the minute. Throughout all of these matches we used the above mentioned two systems.

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What can i say.... the experiment has been highly successful and for the first time in our history.....

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OHHH YEEES! :cool:

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16 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Color me impressed...exceptionally well done, and to have over-achieved in Europe no less.

:applause:

 

3 hours ago, Keano16 said:

Amazingly done! Back to the olden days football! 

 

27 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Good work in a tough group 

cheers guys :) 

ladies and gentlemen, our next stop is.....

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right.... 

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Unbelievable progress, I'm not sure how you managed escaping that group of death. Good luck against Juve, certainly if you knocked off the likes of Dortmund and Benfica then they can't be too much more of a challenge!

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February 2030

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Champions League First K.O. Round

Going into the most important match in our history, I made a few changes which shift the approach of the system from Total Defending to something close to Catennacio:

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this way we make use of Plopeanu and Voican who have developed into excellent fullbacks over the course of the season. This eases off the defensive responsibility from the wingers and central midfielders and allows them to get involved in the final third with a bit more attacking intent.

I'm just going to leave this here....
 

First Leg:

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Second Leg:

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:)

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20 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

:applause:Is it possible to go over the universe? That might be more fitting.

speechless... we're up against PSG next, but I'm very tempted to do a Ranieri here and go 'dilly ding dilly dong, come on man, we're in the Champions League semi-final!!!'

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13 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

You sick, son of a...between these results and your blog post, you've got me tempted to play with a libero system at my next stop. I love the formation and extent to which he gets involved in the attack.

:lol: which blog post is that? If it's not this one - https://fmasymmetric.wordpress.com/2016/12/03/the-libero-part-i-a-total-defending-approach/ I highly recommend you check it out, I'm sure you'll find plenty of useful info you could use in a libero tactic ;)

[edit]

oh yes, for further research check out Guido's experiments at strikerless.com, he's a master of this craft :)

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2 hours ago, noikeee said:

You make FM seem so easy it pisses me off. :D absurd, really, and doubly so with such creative systems. 

haha, thanks mate :D to be fair though, I have a tendency to focus on the positives. We were very lucky in most of these games and the systems are far from perfect. I kind of used this season more as a tactical adventure, tweaking things left right and centre. It paid off in Europe, however I feel we could do better domestically. Then again, we did have to go through relegtion and some hard-fought 14 seasons to get to this stage :)

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May 2030 - Champions League Semi-final

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a tough draw against PSG, however at this stage of this competition this is what you're bound to get :) I'm very pleased with our performances despite getting knocked out. We can now go home with our heads held high as reaching the semi-final in itself is an overwhelming achievement for us... Really proud of this year's run and to be fair, it would be foolish to expect to achieve this kind of performance again in the next year or two. On paper, we're still a team of average quality, perhaps on the same levels of a Championship side, and to have come this far is a unique achievement. 

First Leg

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Second Leg


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June 2030 - Season Review

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we did it again :) a clean swipe of all domestic competitions as well as that mesmerizing run in the Champions League, which no doubt, ranks amongst the best performances a Romanian team has ever had in a European competition. A giant step forward for the growth of the club.

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the excessive tactical tinkering I've done this season has had it's ups and downs. While the ups are considerable as highlighted by the final results across all competitions, there were a few issues regarding team morale and general cohesion that were at times counter-productive, and I feel we could have achieved an even better position in the league if not for that. 
 

League Table

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Squad

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Awards

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Key Players

Catalin Turcu                                                                                                            Florin Stuparu

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Romeo Voican                                                                                                               Alexandru Ivan

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Yet another generation is stealing the spotlight this year. Turcu's explosive pace and work-rate on the right flank and Stuparu's clinical finshing have played a massive part in this year's fantastic achievements. The first is set to develop into our best ever player and we're already having trouble keeping the likes of Valencia and Liverpool off our backs as they keep coming back with increasingly bigger offers. Voican is enjoying a similarly intense show of attention from big European sides as he exploded into our first team left back this season. Already capped for the national team at just 18 years of age, we finally have a reliable and exciting prospect for that position after years of no viable options. Ivan really impressed this season despite him not being our best option for that position. The style of football we played made the most out of his strongest area - physique. Mainly assigned with the duty of sitting deep and protecting the back four, he did a great job in that respect and I'm pleased to see one of our older players perform so well.

Youth Prospects

Antonio Dumitriu                                                                                                     Angelo Boiangiu

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Costin Plopeanu

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Antonio acted as the rotation option for the striker spot this season, and he impressed me a lot with his powerful presence on the pitch. 10 goals and 5 assists in 24 appearances is a great return for a player just promoted from the U19's and I'm looking forward to seeing that 5* potential development. Boiangiu is our brightest hope in midfield as he's increasingly making Kereszy look like a back-up player with his rapid development. Very dynamic player with great all-round stat distribution and some great potential too by the looks of it. Plopeanu has been the second 'fullback revelation' of this year, as he quickly made the RB position his own, pushing Marin out of the side. Fantastic defensive stats as well as some much needed speed for that position, and it looks like we have another potential gem amongst our ranks :)
 

Youth Intake

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a very good intake this year. we get two 5* PA strikers, which could spark yet another shift in our tactical approach, as we look increasingly likely to employ a 2 striker formation in the near future due to the great prospects available for that position. Ciurea doesn't look bad either and has a good personality so we'll see if that PA assessment isn't misleading :)

Ionut Filip                                                                                                           Ion Preoteasa

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Club Developments

the increase in competition prize money has to be the highlight here :)

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not long left until we get some much needed additional seating space... 5 million seems to be quite an investment though..

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quite an incredible rise in the rankings for both, the club and the Romanian First League. Our CL run has played a massive part in both....

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club icon Alexandru Nica is set to be released by the club after a fantastic 17 years of service. The new generations of youngsters completely outclass his ability and he has no chance for even a back-up spot in the current team.

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what can be said... a true legend for the club and part of the original youngsters that formed the newly-founded Sparta side. Arguably the most important player of the team for an entire decade, Nica has played a monumental part in the growth and success of this club. He's still the all-time leading goalscorer for Sparta and he departs leaving a magnificent legacy behind....

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[edit]

:)

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joining Nica in the departures list, another monumental figure is set for the last goodbyes....

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Our ever-charging right back consistently bombed the right flank for an entire decade and was the undisputed choice for that position just until a year ago. Outshined by the prospects of the last few intakes, Marius had to settle for being 3rd choice, which doesn't dignify his ability, which is still decent for a Liga I side. Penescu was part of our very first intake and there are quite a few flashbacks rolling by as I press the 'accept' button for the 70k bid from Academica Clinceni...

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6 hours ago, LATB said:

Superb stuff, this thread consistently wants me to immediately fire up the game, tremendous.

 

4 hours ago, deltablue said:

It's great seeing how far you've come. 

merci beacoup :)  I've never invested that much time in one save but this is by far the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done on FM. Thanks for the company guys :)

5 hours ago, noikeee said:

I agree it's going to be difficult to repeat that Champions League run in the next few years, but you're definitely on the right direction.

absolutely, the new generation seems really good as well. I think we'll have 5-6 players in the senior NT team soon too :) 

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June 2030 - Career Progress

spartalogo222.jpg.c93f9b5c0bb345946109345bc7476c30.jpg

 

Table

                                                                            Career Progress Table
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   League                                                          Cups                                     Europe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              2016-2017 Liga II- 2nd(promoted)                                 Quarter final(RC)                               N/A

              2017-2018 Liga I- 13th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                    N/A

              2018-2019 Liga I- 13th(7th in relegation group-relegated)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
              
              2019-2020 Liga II- 1st(promoted)                                 Semi-Final(RC)/8th final(RLC)                   N/A

              2020-2021 Liga I- 11th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/Final(RLC)                        N/A

              2021-2022 Liga I- 8th(5th in relegation group-survival)          7th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A

              2022-2023 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff- Euro Cup)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
 
              2023-2024 Liga I- 2nd(Champions via Playoff)                     6th Round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                 EL- Group Stage

              2024-2025 Liga I- 4th(2nd in Champions Playoff- CL)              Semi-final(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)         CL- Playoff/EL-first k.o.round
 
              2025-2026 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff)                  Final(RC)/Winners(RLC)                    EL- first k.o.round

              2026-2027 Liga I- 1st(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Winners(RLC)                        N/A

              2027-2028 Liga I- 2nd(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)            CL- Groups/EL-first k.o.round 
 
              2028-2029 Liga I- 3rd(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Winners(RLC)                    CL- Group Stage
           
              2029-2030 Liga I- 1st(Champions via Playoff)                     Winners(RC)/Winners(RLC)                    CL- Semi-final

 

Tracker

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1 hour ago, BoxToBox said:

It's quite amazing to see the club value skyrocket so.

definitely :) fair to say the previous year was a big step up in terms of both - player value and club performance, and that's had its' say apparently

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September 2030

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[edit]

still can't believe I haven't won Manager of the Year yet :lol: I do admit, holidayed a few easy matches here and there but come on mate....

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an interesting draw :) while Madrid are the team to beat, Lyon are a strong side we're going to fancy our chances against and Midtjylland are our point-earners in this group. Not the easiest group, for sure, but compared to previous years this finally looks like a milder beating from the officers of Karma Police

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have to take a moment to express my sincere astonishment at the rise of the Romanian Liga I in the European Rankings table. If you check my tracker you'll see this is a league that seemed destined to drifting between the 14th and 19th positions. We are now considered to be a better league than the Eredivisie, and are only a couple of spots away from giant competitions like Serie A and the Bundesliga! To have reached this position is truly amazing. I hope it keeps moving upwards as this will help the club's reputation tremendously

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In my Rosenborg save my league is ranked 9th currently so you're doing better than me :D I am in the year 2012 though :p

It's really fun to play in a smaller country and watch the rankings (national, league and club) rise I think. Probably my favorite thing to do in FM.

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as we're about to play Madrid in the CL groups, we face Patrick Deffo - Madrid legend, best fullback in the world and most probably one of the best players in the world over the last 7-8 years:

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28 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Can you imagine someone that gifted playing as a fullback in real life? You could build a world dominating midfield around the guy...

Ask any Norwegian and they will tell you that John Arne Riise in his prime was TWICE the fullback of this guy! :D Norwegians can be stupid about football...

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5 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Can you imagine someone that gifted playing as a fullback in real life? You could build a world dominating midfield around the guy...

Lahm or Alaba are probably the closest real life equivalents.

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no surprises here... :) I'm really happy about Viitorul to be honest. To have two clubs that invest so much in developing local youth is great for Romanian football and the development of the national team

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player spotlight

ladies and gentlemen, I present the latest star produced by the (famous) Sparta academy - Catalin Turcu

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Came through the youth ranks just about 3 years ago and took the last two seasons to cement his place in the first team with great aplomb. Fresh off his first cap for the national team, and still just 19 years of age, Catalin is a monster in the making

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