[FM17] A Journeyman Story: Knocking José Mourinho Off His Perch

[noikeee]

 

Copa Libertadores Final 1st Leg: Nacional-Toluca

 

First Half

 

I'm not sure I want to commit to this format for my whole career, but my first continental final is worth a bit of special coverage. Let's take a look at the starting 11s here.

 

 

We field our routine "big match" 11 on our plan A strategy, with only Gaston Pereiro missing out due to being both injured and suspended. Toluca field a 4-2-3-1 with DMs which is something I've not faced often, let's see how that goes. Will switch Dani Fernández from CF/A to AF/A to get him out of the space of the DMs. I also quickly switch to Mixed Crosses (from Low Crosses default setting) to use Martín Merlo's height.

 

Minute 4: GOAL FOR NACIONAL! 1-0! Just before the "Mixed Crosses" setting gets shouted to the players, Maurício Gómez crosses right into Martín Merlo who heads it in! It's as if the lads were thinking the same as I was!

 

 

Minute 10: Dani Fernández has a couple of mildly dangerous shots. We're looking well superior here so far.

 

Minute 13: Dangerous freekick just outside the area for us. Mauricio Goméz puts it just high.

 

Minute 39: GOAL FOR NACIONAL! 2-0! This was out of nowhere after what's been a rather dull first half. A ball punted upfield was cleared but only as far as Mauro Arambarri, who passed a square ball to Dani Fernández - the teenager turned past a defender and hit a well placed low shot.

 

 

Minute 40: Almost 3-0! Martín Merlo roamed to the left wing and crossed it to an unrushing Axel Muller who heads it just wide.

 

 

HALF-TIME: This has been rather comfortable so far. We've not recorded a single clear cut chance, but we're deservedly 2-0 ahead and the Mexican side hasn't created any danger whatsoever. We do need to take as much as we can out of home advantage here, to take back to Mexico for the 2nd leg.

[noikeee]

 

Copa Libertadores Final 1st Leg: Nacional-Toluca

 

Second Half

 

Minute 45: First yellow card and it's for our LWB Diogo. Not good, this is a vulnerable position to plenty of cards and this gets him suspended for the 2nd leg.

 

Minute 47: Nearly a repeat from the 2-0, Arambarri found Dani Fernández in the area but he put it high.

 

Minute 62: First yellow for Toluca and it's for Uruguayan(!) DM Diego Poyet.

 

Minute 64: We've knocked a guy out! Their winger Rodrigo Gómez has a gashed head, although he can continue. This is the most interesting thing so far in what's been a dull 2nd half...

 

Minute 67: Decent chance. Mauricio Gómez crosses for Dani Fernández but he hits it straight at the keeper.

 

Minute 69: A long shot by Axel Müller goes wide by centimeters. He'll move to WBL now to accomodate Pablo Lavandeira who comes in for Diego.

 

Minute 78: Cleared off the line! Pablo Lavandeira's corner meets Erick Cabaco's head but a Mexican defender clears. 

 

Minute 79: Massive mess in the Mexican area with multiple shots but all are blocked. We do another switch, Gonzalo Freitas for Luis Garrido.

 

Minute 84: Time for my final sub, Cassiano for Martín Merlo.

 

Minute 88: GOAL FOR TOLUCA! 2-1! We concede an away goal completely out of the blue after they've done nothing all match. Ángel Valdez's shot from 25 yards hits the underside of the bar and goes in. Madness.

 

 

FULL TIME: We win but this is a disappointing result to bring to Mexico after we've clearly been the best side here. With just 1 goal advantage and them having an away goal, it's all to play for. Moreover, midway through this week there's the championship playoff vs Peñarol and I'm concerned about tired legs.

 

[Benjoe]

That was a strong showing, sad to see the late goal being conceded otherwise that would have looked very comfortable.

[BoxToBox]

Hard luck on the late goal!

Is that the same Rodrigo Gomez that used to be an absolute monster in FM14?

[noikeee]

 

Copa Libertadores Final 2nd Leg: Toluca-Nacional

 

First Half

 

Uh-oh, we have problems here picking up the team. After a 120 minute thriller midweek in the championship playoff, we have plenty of tired players indeed. Moreover we cannot use Diogo, suspended after the first leg. I decide to risk fielding Axel Müller on the LWB slot in his absence, with Gastón Pereiro coming straight from his injury into the side. Experienced centre-back Alexis Rolín is also missing, not quite fully fit after he got injured as well - Matías Malvino comes in. Meanwhile Toluca go all-in starting from kickoff on a 4-2-4!

 

 

Minute 3: It's clear Toluca are super-aggressive and gifting space in the middle - time to use a tweak I often use: switch on "Pass Shorter" and turn the RWB into a IWB/S.

 

Minute 16: Weirdly for such attacking sides on paper, nothing's been happening. A long shot from Gastón Pereiro that the Mexican keeper saves is the first thing of any (vague) note.

 

Minute 17: .... and a decent one for Toluca on the counter. Ángel Valdez found space but fired a tame shot at Matteo Roberto.

 

Minute 22: A better chance for them, a through ball found Enrique Triverio who shot straight at Roberto again. Very dangerous, recorded as a CCC.

 

Minute 24: A bit of quick tiki-taka and they get a decent opening at the edge of the area - saved again. I'm unhappy with our balance and it's time to switch things. The IWB will be Muller on the other wing, and will drop the Pass Shorter TI as we're getting easily hassled.

 

Minute 27: At last something decent for us. Arambarri found Dani Fernández isolated but the keeper saved it for a corner.

 

Minute 30: Toluca hit the bar! A cross found Ismael Díaz in the keeper's area but he was too accurate! This is getting too dangerous for us, the tweaks still haven't worked... time to switch to the more defensive plan B 3-3-2-2.

 

Minute 41: A really good chance for us! In a quick counter Martín Merlo launched Fernández but he hit it at the keeper

 

Minute 44: GOAL FOR NACIONAL! 0-1! This time it was the other around, Fernández found space for Merlo and he hit a placed low shot. We don't really deserve the advantage but I'll take it!

 

 

 

HALF-TIME: We're quite lucky to have resisted the Toluca assault the first 30 minutes, but we've looked more stabilized and more dangerous on the counter after the switch to 3-3-2-2. It's looking quite good now after the goal...

[Benjoe]

Come on Central Español  erhm I mean Nacional!

[noikeee]

 

Copa Libertadores Final 2nd Leg: Toluca-Nacional

 

Second Half

 

Minute 50: A bit of insistence and Dani Fernández shoots from long, just wide of the post. It's been looking very divided and hectic since half-time, Toluca camped in our half, but we keep on creating danger on the counter too. There will be goals.

 

Minute 54: Toluca hit the bar again! What is it with this Mexican side and long shots? Ismael Diaz's screamer from long range nearly went in identically to Valdez's shot in the 1st leg.

 

Minute 58: Tough save for the Mexican keeper after Merlo shoots from just outside the area. I switch the tired and underwhelming Gastón Pereiro for Pablo Lavandeira.

 

Minute 60: Another long shot that nearly went in, Axel Müller's attempt nearly kisses the post.

 

Minute 62: Quick counter from Müller to Fernández to Merlo who heads it in the keepers area but "should have done a lot better with that chance" - saved.

 

Minute 68: GOAL FOR TOLUCA! 1-1! Rodrigo Gómez's cross finds Ismael Diaz face with the keeper. A vital line for Toluca! Meanwhile it's clear our lads have no legs left. Gonzalo Freitas in for Mauro Arambarri.

 

 

Minute 70: An Axel Müller cross is deflected and nearly goes in - saved! Our final switch is Dani Fernández out for Carlos Núñez. Fresh legs upfront too, to counter-attack better.

 

Minute 76: We almost score! Merlo finds Núñez but Toluca's keeper Alfonso Treviño pulls a miraculous save!

 

Minute 81: Almost a repeat of Toluca's goal - Ismael Diaz was again alone in the area after a cross but missed it, high.

 

Minute 84: Another dangerous cross and shot, from the other wing - Pereira found Uribe but he shoots well wide from a glorious position. We're hanging on by a thread here...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FULL TIME: It's over! We've resisted! It was an incredibly difficult match with loads of chances either way, and it became harder and harder over the second half as we looked too tired. But Toluca lacked legs too in the final minutes and we've clinched the draw we needed. South American champions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party in Montevideo! Even Luis Suarez joined in with his support!

[kidthekid]

Wow, congratulations. Mourinho must be shivering.

Just curious, what was the prize/money TV money for winning the Copa Libertadores

[noikeee]

39 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Hard luck on the late goal!

Is that the same Rodrigo Gomez that used to be an absolute monster in FM14?

I have no idea lol. Didn't play that much FM14. He's Argentinian, apparently.

 

20 minutes ago, Benjoe said:

Come on Central Español  erhm I mean Nacional!

Thanks. The lads were energized by the anger of being confused with a relegated team. 

[Benjoe]

Just now, noikeee said:

Thanks. The lads were energized by the anger of being confused with a relegated team. 

And here I was, thinking you didn't that motivational advice from me!

[noikeee]

Just now, kidthekid said:

Wow, congratulations. Mourinho must be shivering.

Just curious, what was the prize/money TV money for winning the Copa Libertadores

I think it was 2.7M€? I've closed the game now, will check later.

We've made a pile of money this season (for South American standards), with the gate receipts, the Libertadores prize money and a couple of sales. We're now well over 10M€ in positive balance.

[BoxToBox]

Amazing work, well done!

1 minute ago, noikeee said:

I have no idea lol. Didn't play that much FM14. He's Argentinian, apparently.

That's probably him then, was one of those guys you could buy for a million then sell for 35-55 two seasons later.

[Bigpapa42]

Bravo! Great work on that one! Lovely accomplishment!

[DazRTaylor]

[Rikulec]

Great achievement. Time for Europe?

[noikeee]

9 hours ago, Benjoe said:

And here I was, thinking you didn't that motivational advice from me!

I don't, but I read them this thread before I tuck them in at bedtime.

Hey, it's a team of kids. 3 youth team products that broke into the team this season, started both legs of the final. 

 

 

9 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Amazing work, well done!

That's probably him then, was one of those guys you could buy for a million then sell for 35-55 two seasons later.

 

6 hours ago, Bigpapa42 said:

Bravo! Great work on that one! Lovely accomplishment!

 

4 hours ago, DazRTaylor said:

Muchas gracias hombres.

 

3 hours ago, Rikulec said:

Great achievement. Time for Europe?

Yeah Europe's gotta be the next move now. I was thinking maybe a stop over in Brazil or Mexico to try to win the Libertadores with better resources in another league I've never managed in, but now that I've already achieved that, I'd rather move to another continent. Brazil/Mexico can be another challenge for the distant future.

However I do wish to take advantage of having qualified for the Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana (does this still exist? it's the equivalent of the UEFA Super Cup) by winning the Libertadores. So the plan is to do another, final season with Nacional before then moving on.

[deltablue]

Super Libertadores win.

[noikeee]

1 hour ago, deltablue said:

Super Libertadores win.

I just realised this is my first continental trophy since... FM12. ****. 

[ManUtd1]

Congrats on the Libertadores win!

I can sympathize - watching a former side struggle can be a special kind of torment.

[noikeee]

4 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Congrats on the Libertadores win!

I can sympathize - watching a former side struggle can be a special kind of torment.

I think Central Español fans should arrange a meeting with Malmo fans - and cry together. It's therapeutic.

[noikeee]

Oh ffs. I've just checked and it seems I've got the bug where the teams drawn to the Club World Cup don't line up with the Libertadores winners - they're just random South American teams. You've got to be bloody joking.

SI fixed it with 17.3.1 but since I started this career 5 days earlier on 17.3.0 it seems I still have the bug, even if I've updated the game long ago since. I don't know now whether to stick to Nacional and contest the season knowing I won't do the Club World Cup, give up on them and South America all together, or simply throw this career in the bin and start over again.

It's a massive deal-breaker to me. The whole point of the career is to literally stack up trophies and now the game has robbed me of the chance to contest a rare trophy that's worth serious points.

[noikeee]

 

mid November-December 2020

 

 

 

Competitions

 

 

 

On the final 2 fixtures of the season we beat Defensor Sporting 3-0 and then finished Clausura with a disappointing 0-0 away at Sud América, not ideal for morale prior to the big deciders of the Libertadores and the championship playoff.

 

We went into the playoff, attempt number 1, with tired legs from the first leg vs Toluca, and wary of tiring the players further for the 2nd leg. I decided to throw a massive gamble and rest several players (although not the full 11). It looked like going well as we were 1-0 up by half-time. However Peñarol tied it in the 2nd half and started getting an edge over the match. We were hanging on and it looked like extra-time when a controversial penalty went our way in minute 87! And Pablo Lavandeira scored it! Surely it's done? No! They equalise in minute 93 forcing extra-time... ffs. By now I had brought in the special teenage striker duo of Merlo and Dani Fernández from the bench, and Merlo got us in the lead again right before extra-time half-time. Minutes later, a long shot missile from Gonzalo Freitas made it 4-2. That was enough and we didn't need a 2nd playoff neither bottled it this time - it might've taken us an extra 30 minutes we wanted to avoid at all costs due to the Libertadores final only 3 days later, but we were Uruguayan champions at last.

 

Meanwhile as for the big Libertadores final, this has been covered in detail in previous posts - we were well ahead 2-0 in the 1st leg when we suffered an away goal out of the blue at the end of the match. In the return in Mexico, we survived lots of pressure to somehow be the first to score right at the end of first half - that kid Merlo again - and survived the entire 2nd half only conceding a single goal, despite several big chances for Toluca, to get away with the draw. South American champions, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a rather crazy season. Finally winning the league was on my plans for sure, I certainly wanted to win the Intermedio as well, but expecting this Libertadores run? **** no. We had been hammered in the 1st PRELIMINARY round last season, remember? It's just insane. It's particularly apt as I've long wanted to win the Libertadores with a team from outside Brazil/Argentina, it was a challenge I had for myself for a very long time. I just never expected it in this career and this quickly! My plan was to do about 3 seasons with Nacional and get them maybe into a quarter-final or something with some luck.

 

Now my new plan after winning this was to stick around for just one more year and contest the Club World Cup but since it's bugged I have no idea... I'm honestly seriously pissed off at that.

[argento]

huge win in libertadores that is gutting about the world club cup as well.  In my experience i still played in the recopa the following season but didn't go into the sudamericana

[noikeee]

 

Season review 2020

 

A vintage season for the club - we win our first ever Intermedio (the trophy only started in 2016), reclaim the league after 4 years of Peñarol domination, and become South American champions out of the blue for a 4th time, 32 years after the last title.

 

Finances

 

Swimming in cash, yo. 14.7M€ at the end of the season after the hugely lucrative Libertadores run. The prize money for winning the final (just the final) was 2.67M€, by the way.

 

 

Statistics, best 11, and top 5 players of the season

 

 

The total stats in individual player screenshots are all wrong due to a bug that counts Intermedio fixtures twice. The correct stats are above in the full squad list.

 

5. Erick Cabaco (DC) - A quality season for the leader of my defence, including 5 goals, some of them important, like one in each leg of the Libertadores semi-final vs Atlético Mineiro.

 

4. Mauricio Gómez (WBR, DR, WBL, DL) - Overperformer of the season. Alexis Zárate had won the WBR position over him last year, but he returned on unbelievable form - recording 18 assists, 9 of those in the Libertadores, and also 8 goals, mostly penalty kicks and freekicks. Fabulous for a wingback.

 

3. Axel Müller (AMC, WBL) - Well on course for "player of the season" a while back, a less impressive final few months dropped him just behind the duo of teenage strikers for me. Still a superb year, with 15 goals, 13 assists, and flawless ratings either at AMC (7.46 in 23 matches) or WBL (7.29 in 20 matches).

 

2. Martín Merlo (ST) - One half of the duo of 19 year olds we unleashed on South America to terrorize them this season, it's hard to believe he was playing like **** last year on loan to a 2nd division side and was nowhere near my first 11. Finished the season as our top scorer with 22 goals and managed to score in both legs of the Libertadores final and the championship playoff final, and the Intermedio final too (where he was top scorer).

 

1. Daniel Fernández (ST) - But Daniel was even better. 21 goals and 10 assists is great but when you consider that the bulk of those came in the Libertadores with 11 goals and a sensational average of 8.18 ratings in the competition... He is all about pace, and against the continent's biggest sides that persistently underrated us and played too open, he did some serious damage.

 

 

 

Mourinho watch

 

Finally I get some serious progress to cut off Mourinho's lead - by winning 3 trophies I got a huge boost and another season like this I'd have broken into the top 10 Portuguese. Still a long way to go. As for Mourinho, I've no idea why he hasn't been sacked by Man Utd yet - another trophyless season including a 5th place in the Premier League. Eh?

 

 

 

 

Career progress table

 

Season   League                  Cups                              Continental                    Other
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central Español (Uruguay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016     Segunda Div - 4th       
2017     Segunda Div - 1st                                                                        Champions, promoted
2018     Camp. Uruguayo - 2nd (Ap. 4th, Int. finalists, Cl. 3rd)                                  Qualified for Libertadores
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nacional (Uruguay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019     Camp. Uruguayo - 1st (Ap. 4th, Int. Grps 2nd , Cl. 1st)   Libertadores 1st Pre. Rnd      Lost Champions Playoff
2020     Camp. Uruguayo - 1st (Ap. 2nd, Int. winners, Cl. 1st)     Libertadores winners           League+Int+Libertadores treble

 

[Northernpilgrim]

11 minutes ago, noikeee said:

 

Season review 2020

 

A vintage season for the club - we win our first ever Intermedio (the trophy only started in 2016), reclaim the league after 4 years of Peñarol domination, and become South American champions out of the blue for a 4th time, 32 years after the last title.

 

Finances

 

Swimming in cash, yo. 14.7M€ at the end of the season after the hugely lucrative Libertadores run. The prize money for winning the final (just the final) was 2.67M€, by the way.

 

 

Statistics, best 11, and top 5 players of the season

 

 

The total stats in individual player screenshots are all wrong due to a bug that counts Intermedio fixtures twice. The correct stats are above in the full squad list.

 

5. Erick Cabaco (DC) - A quality season for the leader of my defence, including 5 goals, some of them important, like one in each leg of the Libertadores semi-final vs Atlético Mineiro.

 

4. Mauricio Gómez (WBR, DR, WBL, DL) - Overperformer of the season. Alexis Zárate had won the WBR position over him last year, but he returned on unbelievable form - recording 18 assists, 9 of those in the Libertadores, and also 8 goals, mostly penalty kicks and freekicks. Fabulous for a wingback.

 

3. Axel Müller (AMC, WBL) - Well on course for "player of the season" a while back, a less impressive final few months dropped him just behind the duo of teenage strikers for me. Still a superb year, with 15 goals, 13 assists, and flawless ratings either at AMC (7.46 in 23 matches) or WBL (7.29 in 20 matches).

 

2. Martín Merlo (ST) - One half of the duo of 19 year olds we unleashed on South America to terrorize them this season, it's hard to believe he was playing like **** last year on loan to a 2nd division side and was nowhere near my first 11. Finished the season as our top scorer with 22 goals and managed to score in both legs of the Libertadores final and the championship playoff final, and the Intermedio final too (where he was top scorer).

 

1. Daniel Fernández (ST) - But Daniel was even better. 21 goals and 10 assists is great but when you consider that the bulk of those came in the Libertadores with 11 goals and a sensational average of 8.18 ratings in the competition... He is all about pace, and against the continent's biggest sides that persistently underrated us and played too open, he did some serious damage.

 

Mourinho watch

 

Finally I get some serious progress to cut off Mourinho's lead - by winning 3 trophies I got a huge boost and another season like this I'd have broken into the top 10 Portuguese. Still a long way to go. As for Mourinho, I've no idea why he hasn't been sacked by Man Utd yet - another trophyless season including a 5th place in the Premier League. Eh?

 

 

Career progress table

 

Season   League                  Cups                              Continental                    Other
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central Español (Uruguay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016     Segunda Div - 4th       
2017     Segunda Div - 1st                                                                        Champions, promoted
2018     Camp. Uruguayo - 2nd (Ap. 4th, Int. finalists, Cl. 3rd)                                  Qualified for Libertadores
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nacional (Uruguay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019     Camp. Uruguayo - 1st (Ap. 4th, Int. Grps 2nd , Cl. 1st)   Libertadores 1st Pre. Rnd      Lost Champions Playoff
2020     Camp. Uruguayo - 1st (Ap. 2nd, Int. winners, Cl. 1st)     Libertadores winners           League+Int+Libertadores treble

 

Maybe it's a sign that FM17 is even more realistic. They're 5th now IRL and Mourinho is 50/1 to be the next manager to go. Even Eddie Howe is shorter odds than that!!

[BoxToBox]

Might be a combination of his high rep making the board more lenient, and declining expectations as Man Utd drift more and more into second rate also rans.

 

Just like real life.

[noikeee]

 

The Nacional talent factory - 2020

 

One year later let's see how all the kids are doing...

 

 

Group 0 - Players that have gone away already

 

The lads that have already been sold!

 

 

Improving dramatically, and Monaco sent him on loan to Bundesliga's Freiburg after he spent the first 6 months of the season playing for my old club Central Español. He's playing like absolute **** in the Bundesliga though. I think he needs to improve a lot before he can play at that level.

 

 

 

Doing alright for Fluminense but I bet he must be kicking himself that he bailed out of us midway through the season and missed the Libertadores final. I warned ya you should stay, mate. However he's picked up a full national cap now.

 

 

Group 1 - Players that have broken into the first team

 

3 guys made it this year!

 

 

 

Not a surprise, it was always the plan for him to get promoted this season. He did very well though, no signs of the liability he seemed to be last year. Progress is a little slow but steady. Monster keeper in the making.

 

 

 

I still can't believe it. 1 year ago, he had just 4 goals scored in the 2nd division and an average rating below 7.00. One year later he's one half of South America's most fearsome duo of strikers, and scored in every single final we played. Astonishing progress.

 

 

 

Dani Fernández is even better, though. There was already some signs he was breaking into the 1st team last year, but fast forward one season and he's now simply our best player.

 

 

 

Group 2 - Players that are on the brink of breaking into the first team

 

These 2 guys are close...

 

 

Pretty much could be considered a 1st team player already, if it wasn't for the immense competition of Mauricio Gómez and Alexís Zarate for the WBR position. He complained he needed playing time, I caved in, and didn't regret it. Overperforming a bit for a guy that doesn't really have the attacking qualities I want in a WB.

 

 

 

Continues to be a misfit, but his ever-improving skills are screaming for more football. He got his first goal for Nacional this season, meanwhile I've decided to be even bolder and adapt him to WBL not WBR - he can't cross but can be immense at cutting inside. He's taking forever and ever to retrain, though.

 

 

 

Group 3 - Players who are a little further behind

 

These lads are my biggest prospects yet to get minutes for the 1st team:

 

 

 

Coming along decently, but just not as good as Moreira who's already only 3rd choice for WBR.

 

 

 

Seems to be now the leader of Class of '19. When he improves his finishing he's going to be an elite striker.

 

 

 

Still quite promising but not improving as much as I expected. One or two injuries made him stall a little.

 

 

 

Strong prospect but will have the problem of not being as good as Acosta.

 

 

 

Might be overtaking Emiliano Fernández in the pecking order very soon too. We have so many strikers!

[noikeee]

41 minutes ago, argento said:

huge win in libertadores that is gutting about the world club cup as well.  In my experience i still played in the recopa the following season but didn't go into the sudamericana

Yeah that seems to be the case. I'd like to play the Recopa but don't think sticking around just for the Recopa is worth it.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Northernpilgrim said:

Maybe it's a sign that FM17 is even more realistic. They're 5th now IRL and Mourinho is 50/1 to be the next manager to go. Even Eddie Howe is shorter odds than that!!

 

4 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Might be a combination of his high rep making the board more lenient, and declining expectations as Man Utd drift more and more into second rate also rans.

 

Just like real life.

Brutal. 

[noikeee]

Goodbye, Nacional talent factory

 

 

As you can see by the posts above, I've grown very fond of the club and the time I've spent here. I've had immense fun these two seasons in all the competitions we've contested, lots of hugely interesting things happened, I really enjoyed helping develop all those youth players too. But the Club World Cup bug is too big a deal-breaker. It was the main reason I wanted to stay. With that reason gone, I don't think I would've fully enjoyed another season. It's time to leave and find a new challenge, whatever that may be. I am however, for now, continuing this career. Let's see where... I'm certainly not back to South America for a while.

[BoxToBox]

Good luck with your next stop, hopefully some fun options pop up.

You strictly looking at Europe, or is North America, etc, open for consideration?

11 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Brutal. 

I said that about two and a half hours ago.

[noikeee]

3 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Good luck with your next stop, hopefully some fun options pop up.

You strictly looking at Europe, or is North America, etc, open for consideration?

At the moment I'm only thinking of Europe.

Here's how I'm slightly reshaping the current available leagues.

[BoxToBox]

Lot of options there. Any region you particularly fancy?

[Northernpilgrim]

2 minutes ago, noikeee said:

At the moment I'm only thinking of Europe.

Here's how I'm slightly reshaping the current available leagues.

I'm currently managing Fiorentina in Italy and having a blast with them. The youth system there has produced me some amazing talent. Highly recommend them if you get the chance

[noikeee]

3 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Lot of options there. Any region you particularly fancy?

Ideally Germany as I've not managed there in a very long time. Or Greece as I've not managed there ever, period.

It's looking more likely I'll go somewhere else though.

2 minutes ago, Northernpilgrim said:

I'm currently managing Fiorentina in Italy and having a blast with them. The youth system there has produced me some amazing talent. Highly recommend them if you get the chance

Nah, I don't fancy Fiorentina. I have an irrational like/dislike of certain clubs and they're not on my "likes" list sorry. 

Although weirdly some of my biggest successes have come at clubs I hate. I've only won the Champions League 3 times in FM and 2 of those were with Lazio and Real Madrid whom I both can't stand.  And don't tell anyone but in Uruguay I've always fancied Peñarol more than Nacional! That might've changed now!

[Northernpilgrim]

7 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Ideally Germany as I've not managed there in a very long time. Or Greece as I've not managed there ever, period.

It's looking more likely I'll go somewhere else though.

Nah, I don't fancy Fiorentina. I have an irrational like/dislike of certain clubs and they're not on my "likes" list sorry. 

Although weirdly some of my biggest successes have come at clubs I hate. I've only won the Champions League 3 times in FM and 2 of those were with Lazio and Real Madrid whom I both can't stand.  And don't tell anyone but in Uruguay I've always fancied Peñarol more than Nacional! That might've changed now!

I have no personal like or dislike for them, but when I was looking for a move, the opportunity arose and I took it. Good luck with wherever you end up going next mate

[noikeee]

 

Enschede, Netherlands - 29th of December, 2020

 

Well this was quick. I was only 20 days unemployed. I kinda wanted to take more time to find the "ideal" club but with the calendar year quickly ending, I also wanted to move quickly to get a job before the January transfer window opens. This meant taking the best choice of what was available.

 

 

FC Twente aren't a bad choice. I actually managed them a few FMs back, before I started writing career updates here, although I believe I never finished the season with them. This is a club that recently had some success by winning the 2010 title, but over the past decade they've been in slow decline and I find them in 15th place in the Eredivisie midseason.

 

 

 

With the board only wanting us to move up a few spots to avoid the relegation battle, I'm under no particularly intense amount of pressure. This is ideal. This is also a club with a decent setup for youth, with "established youth recruitment", "great youth facilities", "good junior coaching" so I can continue somewhat on the same note as to what I was doing with Nacional.

 

First look at the squad:

 

 

Not too many wingers, which is what I want when taking over a new club as I don't use them with my current systems. Although annoyingly one of our best players is a winger, on loan.

 

Best players:

 

 

That guy. Yeah. I guess it's retrain to CWB the rest of the season and probably let him go back to his parent club at the end.

 

 

 

Good well rounded forward who I think can fit as my DLF/S quite well. However he only has 3 goals in 18 appearances, what's going on there?

 

 

 

Holy ****. Here's a fantastic centre-back. A Twente youth product, too. Brilliant.

 

 

Goals

 

Get settled in Europe, climb a few spots during the remainder of the season, and be in a position to prepare the next season better.

[Stocke]

FC Twente's an interesting move, and a good one I think. Solid infrastructure so a long-term project should be viable here, hopefully Mourinho will continue to stagnate so that you have more time to build Twente up.

Wim looks superb already, technicals could do with a bit of improving but for his age his mentals and physicals are absolutely fantastic. This is the sort of player that will push you on to another level (assuming you can keep hold of him of course; his value looks really low for a player of his talents so you'll need to hope that the board doesn't let a big team poach him)

Shame Andre doesn't fit in with your tactics but hopefully he'll do well at CWB for you this season, he also looks great for his age

[DazRTaylor]

Would be a deal breaker for me too.  

[Rikulec]

Interesting move, good luck.

[BoxToBox]

Like that pick, a decent side underachieving, with plenty of upside and prospect to grow.

[deltablue]

Twente looks like an interesting move. 

[DazRTaylor]

I always love a Dutch save - All the best with this @noikeee

[Benjoe]

Joining the choir here. Good choice following a good season in Uruguay that got cut short sadly. Good luck!

[kidthekid]

 If McClaren could win the Dutch league with Twente, you should be able to create the greatest Dutch team ever assembled...No pressure though

[argento]

Onto pastures new, I can understand leaving Uruguay especially with the club world cup bug.  Good luck in Holland!

[ManUtd1]

I'm gutted for you, man. It'll be good to see how you get on at Twente, though! Great choice, even I'd have voted for Fiorentina 

[noikeee]

On 05/04/2017 at 02:11, Stocke said:

FC Twente's an interesting move, and a good one I think. Solid infrastructure so a long-term project should be viable here, hopefully Mourinho will continue to stagnate so that you have more time to build Twente up.

Wim looks superb already, technicals could do with a bit of improving but for his age his mentals and physicals are absolutely fantastic. This is the sort of player that will push you on to another level (assuming you can keep hold of him of course; his value looks really low for a player of his talents so you'll need to hope that the board doesn't let a big team poach him)

Shame Andre doesn't fit in with your tactics but hopefully he'll do well at CWB for you this season, he also looks great for his age

I think other than not being able to defend at all he's a perfect fit for the CWB role.  First impression from friendlies looks good. But I don't want to rely much on him as he's not our player and I'd rather develop our own.

 

On 05/04/2017 at 10:17, Rikulec said:

Interesting move, good luck.

 

On 05/04/2017 at 11:59, BoxToBox said:

Like that pick, a decent side underachieving, with plenty of upside and prospect to grow.

 

23 hours ago, deltablue said:

Twente looks like an interesting move. 

 

21 hours ago, DazRTaylor said:

I always love a Dutch save - All the best with this @noikeee

 

19 hours ago, Benjoe said:

Joining the choir here. Good choice following a good season in Uruguay that got cut short sadly. Good luck!

 

18 hours ago, argento said:

Onto pastures new, I can understand leaving Uruguay especially with the club world cup bug.  Good luck in Holland!

 

9 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

I'm gutted for you, man. It'll be good to see how you get on at Twente, though! Great choice, even I'd have voted for Fiorentina 

Tks everyone.

Twente ain't quite the perfect fit for where I wanted to move now, as I said ideally perhaps Germany. So at the moment I'm not entirely sure whether this is a long-term project or just a stop-gap until something more interesting comes up.

However it wasn't a completely random choice. Holland (much like Belgium or Portugal) has the benefit of barely having any restrictions on foreigners (other than forcing me to give them pretty high wages to any non-EU players, apparently), so I can just hire from anywhere. This is ideal for raiding the South American market or Africa for fun. Although at the moment I'm struggling to find prospects that want to join us, probably because of our dismal league position, and I don't have a giant budget. First thing I did was to try to poach some of the biggest stars from my Nacional side but they're not interested!

 

 

 

19 hours ago, kidthekid said:

 If McClaren could win the Dutch league with Twente, you should be able to create the greatest Dutch team ever assembled...No pressure though

Haha, I noticed our only league title was pretty recent but thought that had been with Van Gaal.. turns out Van Gaal was with AZ and McLaren was who did it with Twente. I agree, if McLaren can do it anyone can, ffs. 

[noikeee]

Sorry, Arsenal fans. He's still there by 2021.

 

.... after winning 3 Premier Leagues in a row from 2017 to 2019, apparently.  

[noikeee]

 

January 2021

 

Transfers

 

This was a slightly frustrating transfer window. I wanted to take the opportunity of arriving just before the window opened, to improve the squad, but I found out that lots of players were unwilling to join us due to our poor league position, also we didn't have a great scouting structure with just 1 chief scout and 1 regular scout. Nevertheless I hired 5 players, partially funded by the sale of Brazilian AM/winger Willyan for 2.6M€ to Valladolid, and Fredrik Jensen who went for the much more modest fee of 68K€.

 

 

 

A player I had an eye on since the Central Español days(!). Fits the profile of my CWB role on the left well, even if he's not quite not top quality - but was available at the sale value of just 90K€.

 

 

 

A more rounded player for the other wing, notable for incredible versatility. Quite possibly my best signing although I haven't had the chance to try him on the pitch yet.

 

 

 

Whilst we have a lot of midfielders, we were lacking a slightly more forceful type of holding player, and I think Sarpei will be okay at it on a short loan.

 

 

 

Another player I already was following back in Uruguay, he's not quite the finished deal yet and doesn't have the perfect skills I want for a AMC, but has potential.

 

 

 

Another guy that was hired partially for potential, he seems to be a bit of a one-dimensional, run quick and shoot accurately poacher-type forward, but that can be useful in certain circumstances.

 

 

Competitions

 

 

I did a bunch of friendlies to get the team settled into my tactics, but we're a long way to go there yet. It shown in the first fixture - whilst it was away, FC Eindhoven were entirely within our reach, but we were battered 1-4 - to be fair that was a rather inflated scoreline. The next match at the Hague was a little better, we equalised twice then got the lead through an inspired Blessing Eleke who got the hat-trick, and who has already more goals in 2 matches under my command than in the rest of the season. However we got unlucky that as soon as I had used all 3 substitutions, the last sub Thom Haye got immediately injured, so with just 10 men we allowed ADO to tie again.

 

 

This isn't a very inspiring start and I'm worried about how crap our defence has looked - I think the fact our keeper David Jensen has very poor morale because I blocked a transfer to Ajax isn't helping neither. However the 2 matches were away, the team is still starting to learn my systems, and I haven't even tried some signings or settled in a starting 11. There's plenty to improve here...

[noikeee]

 

Uhhh... what the hell have I gotten into...