[FM19] Not all that glitters is gold.

[_Ben_]

Building a training schedule (the numbers way)

Everything I have read this year leads me to see that training is not a min/max kind of thing and I can't just automatically get it correct. However, to get a better understanding of what I need to cover, aside from looking at what the players are saying and monitoring their development as well as my own performances on the pitch (something that it has been far too easy to actually ignore over the past few years), I want to look at the numbers behind it.

I have taken a look at all of the training schedules that I might use to fit in with how I want my team to play (so Catenaccio, route one, park the bus etc are missing) and counted how many of each type of training is used and what percentage of the week that is, looking for any patterns. (Please excuse the rough Excel document)

Immediate things I've noticed is that goalkeeping training can clearly be covered in the secondary and tertiary slot of the attacking, defending, tactical and technical schedules as well as the overall - as it hasn't been used at all in a standalone week, probably because it's inefficient for the outfield players (20% focus for attack and defence in each one). The same goes with set pieces as that all seems to be done through individual training (can't find any other schedule where the actual free kick/corner/throw in attributes are work - please correct me!)

Match Prep

It is also interesting to see the match prep correlation between all the training schedules - there is always two match practices in the no-game weeks, one in a game week and none in a two game week but the tactics and practice in the no-game week seem to take over the preview in game weeks.

The above image shows the two focuses for match practice and match tactics - which are both used when we don't have a game.

This one is for 'match preview' - used when we do have a game. Clicking between the two, the match tactics is slightly more intense than the preview but does increase attributes as well as the same tactical familiarity with one a slight reduction for condition. I feel that this quick change might be useful going forward.

 

Looking closer at Gegenpress

I guess that my team will most 'look like' a gegenpressing side on the pitch - so I'll focus my attentions on those training schedules to see what I can learn to build my own. Here is the breakdown for the three gegenpress tactics that are as standard:

Interesting that gegenpressing isn't inherently focused on just attacking play - with only one schedule directly having the attacking unit as the primary focus. However - the two transition sessions give 40% focus to both attacking and defending units and do focus on some of the key attributes:

Out of these - my 'DNA' features anticipation, passing, decisions and work rate so this schedule is a no-brainer for me. I also like the transition - restrict schedule, which also gives 40% to both attacking and defensive units and works on anticipation, as mentioned above. Below is that schedule:

There is also an attacking general session in each week that all of the players engage in but no defensive one - they appear to be complete opposites of each other with one having secondary impacts that are the primary impacts of the other. In fact - looking at the schedules, a large proportion of the gegenpress training is done as a whole team. The table below shows the breakdown of all of the schedules and the percentage focus on each area:

It is only the defensive and transitional schedules that are in units - the rest are as a whole team and attack is all together but the focus will be shared out primarily to the attacking attributes and the rest to defensive. I guess that this fits the mantra of the tactical style where the whole team work together to win the ball back.

 

Take home points from what I've found

• A very quick, and brief, look into what the standard schedules entail tells me that I'm probably correct to look at the gegenpress schedule as a model for my own custom designs.
• I think that I need to spend a little bit of time looking at actually what attributes my team need to work on, as a whole, as the majority of these sessions are as a team and we can kill many birds with one training shaped stone.
• i think that Match Tactics can replace Match Preview (unless it is hard coded as I can't seem to actually choose it?)
• Unit specific work needs to be really well thought out - I do like the two so far; press and restrict as they cover the attacking and defensive transition and I know, as a newly promoted team, we'll need to be organised at the back, especially if we do try and be adventurous with the ball.
• I need to get the balance right - I initially thought that 13,11 and 8 sessions were too little but I will have to look at how that plays out with fixtures and condition/injuries to my players.
• There is no place for anything reactive here - I feel that I need a slot for defending corners, for example, if we have conceded a few silly goals over the past games.

I'm going to take some time and actually try and build three different Beira-Mar base schedules and see how they work!

[_Ben_]

First Draft - 1 match training/week training schedule

Taking into account what I was trying to learn about last night - I've built a rough draft of what a weekly schedule would look like and compared it to the original gegenpress model. First of all - the first screenshot shows the comparison in terms of impacts of the schedule, mine beneath the gegenpress.

We should lose less players to training injury but find that they are less conditioned for the next match - however, we will build a bit more match sharpness (maybe sharpness and condition will balance each other out?) and have more team cohesion at the expense of a small bit of happiness.

The top schedule is gegenpress and the bottom is mine.

I have stuck to the same principles of planning this around a Saturday match, as most of our league fixtures are. I have opted for 3 match preparation slots, using the tactics instead of preview due to the slight attribute focus that it brings. Instead of match practice, to save some condition for the players and allow extra sessions (plus, my familiarity is fairly high as the shapes and essence of the player hasn't really changed and I've signed nobody), I have included more specifics - attacking movement and defensive shape. Both of these are 60/20/20 in favour of attacking or defending which, equals itself out over the two sessions.

I have kept two general sessions in but may look at moving the attacking (blue) to a possession or a tactical one as I feel that there are already several sessions focused on the attack and less so on the defence. The physical stays put as does the quickness as pace (and stamina - so I may need to rotate these) are going to be key for continued pressing. There are both of the transition sessions I like in there and I've added one direct attacking focus (shadow play) and one direct defensive focus (disengaged - this over engaged because it focuses on concentration and teamwork over aggression and I feel these are more appropriate for my squad). I have then added a completely flexible option of defending free kicks - wanting to keep a slot that wasn't too intense free to work on something reflective and adding the team bonding as another hit on teamwork with little intensity implications.

I have front loaded the week so that we can get the main attribute development focused on Monday and Tuesday and use the latter stages to prepare, ensure morale is high and tweak things for the upcoming game.

Here is how it compares, using the Excel document:

My plan is to run with this base idea and then tweak for the 0 matches/2 matches situation and see where I am going then.

[_Ben_]

Season Seven Youth Intake

This could be the best intake I have ever had - and that cannot be said lightly considering that both Trabulo and Filipe have come from the intake straight into the first team. To have four 5* rated players shows that potentially we have a lot of depth coming through - although two are strikers, I already have three and I only play with one!

Teles - is a nearly complete striker, barring his finishing ability. He's got a good personality and, providing those key attacking mentals rise - he could be a great player. It'll be interesting how I plan to use Vagner Silveiro, Vitor Filipe, Miguel Resende and himself.

Andre Folha - I don't rate him anywhere near as much as Teles but his personality will give me the best chance of getting any potential out of him there. Plenty of 8's and 9's technically which would make him look better if they reached 10s but we shall see.

Francisco Bolas - Could do with some more in the workrate, teamwork stakes but not a bad MC except he can't specialise in going forward (poor finishing) nor going back (tackling).

Flavio Candeias - Some more decent goalkeeping options.

[_Ben_]

End of Season Seven Update

Just.

Not the most glamorous nor successful season by any stretch of the imagination but we have remained in the division, built some solidarity, gained some money and learned some lessons. One thing that I have learnt this season is to accept the goals that we are conceding. Coincidentally, we actually had the fifth best defence with just 37 goals conceded but I'm making peace with this side when a player who is simply better than them beats them, scores etc. Looking through the numbers - a team who's weekly salary ranks them 65nd out of all clubs (lower than all 18 top flight, 18 second tier and 28 third tier clubs) there is really no way I should even be at this level and my players are a) underpaid and b) performing better than they should.

I'm already at a point where I want to relax my youth-only rules, not to speed up our growth but to allow me to play this game more realistically - being able to let my players move on for reasonable fees and being able to replace them with an eye to youth and also to be able to generate my own youth intakes through scouring the world for one or two additional players to my own. If I do pursue this, I will draw up a sensible list of objectives to help keep this realistic.

[_Ben_]

Baixo Vouga

I'm about to take this all Bilbao-esque.

I want to make transfers but I want to keep an essence of youth development and home grown identity, despite loading all the leagues around Europe and having an Argentine manager for the added bonus of Argentine regens through the academy. Well - hopefully those Argentines can be complimented by a strict policy of signing only players born within the Aviero region or generated at clubs who play in that region. I am not Portuguese, nor do I know a huge amount about district level geography, but Wiki tells me that there are 19 municipalities within the country, and the one that the FM editor tells me houses the city of Aveiro no longer exists. Never mind. That region is Baixo Vouga - Baixo translating to low and Vouga the name of the river that runs through it. Similarly to the 'cantera' policy ran by Bilbao, I want to dominate the production of youngsters from this region - so have set a rudimentary filter for those born in these cities - there are 15 in total, significantly down from the 66 in the Basque country.

 

I have then added a filter for those under the age of 20 as I want to focus my signings on youth players. I am left with 107 players, of which 68 have an interest in joining the club. 

I have also 'followed' all of the clubs in the local region. Once again, unlike the Basque country, we lack successful club sides - with only ourselves (in the 2026 version of the game anyway) being professional or even playing in a playable league at the moment.

I think this is a really realistic approach and one which I think the club would look at, considering the strength of their academy prior to their real-life bankruptcy. I will be using these filters only on players who are scouted as I will not be using the Player Search feature to keep the realism at its highest possible level.

[_Ben_]

Summer Key Points

• We finally got our U23 team (accepted last year but they never appeared) so we have the scope to keep on much more of our youth intake and try and now have a pathway for the later bloomers to still enter the team through my own training.
• The board are looking for a site for a new stadium - a proposed 21k stadium which expands our current capacity by over 9000. This looks great.
• New contracts are being handed out - I will use this summer to ensure that I have a solid wage structure going forward.
• Youth training is my new focus from now on...

[WillHoward42]

Great progress on here. Enjoy how in-depth you go with the behind the scenes stuff!

[_Ben_]

On 23/11/2018 at 09:47, WillHoward42 said:

Great progress on here. Enjoy how in-depth you go with the behind the scenes stuff!

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying the read.

[_Ben_]

January Sales

In a youth only save, outgoing player transfers seem really easy to just ignore - a 'reject at all costs' approach. I am very much in that boat and want to keep my best players but have decided to cash in on a young and promising lad. Here is why:

The star of my intake a few years back and he's nearly 19 now and has played getting on 50 senior games for the club. Initially, Milan were interested and offered me something stupid like £50k for him - upon that rejection he got angry and handed in a transfer request. I batted away all approaches but Porto were interested in paying a little bit more and I currently have no real comparison so not sure of how best to rate him value wise - but £3m was my goal - nearly 100 times his value.

They came  back with this offer, and I accepted:

That is £1.3m up front with 2 installments of £2.3m - not sure why it shows that. I don't know whether Porto B games will count for those league appearances and I doubt he'll get an international call up, at least in the near future anyway.  Likewise - I don't see Porto selling him for £20m and netting us £8m or so from that but the deal is financially viable and the two instalments, alone, will pay for the upgrades I have sanctioned this summer to youth and training facilities.

However, there was one screen (and one of my favourite new additions) that made this deal a no-brainer:

Vitor was in his fourth season at the club and just couldn't shake his unambitious tag, despite various mentoring groups. This has led to a complete stall in his attribute development. Consider that he's now nearly 19 and these comparison arrows compare to when he was 17 - he hasn't actually improved his attributes at all. At the same time, we have players who are in a similar position at the club who have made major/significant changes to their ability across the board and this just isn't good enough.

I think selling now was a good option, considering that a 26-year old with this skill set would be much less valuable.

[_Ben_]

Season Eight Youth Intake

Another pleasing youth intake and, with the focus on player development for a) our own players and b) players from this region, this will be the first intake where I sign all the players. With our new U23 devoid of players and the current youth crop playing 60/70 games a season to fill out both squads, some extra numbers will be really useful anyway. I have two 5* players, which are great and a further 4.5* player - however, two of those I would consider to be 'develop to sell' as neither of the strikers have/will ever have the required workrate and mental attributes to fit into my high pressing approach.

Roberto Arraiolos - highest rated by PA but not really the sort of striker I need. Doesn't work hard and won't work for the team and, in our current situation and hopeful future plans, will not be able to carry a player. Hopefully I can turn him into a decent poacher and then look to offload for a decent fee.

Sergio Pereira - The top player from this intake. Superb base stats except he is small! I definitely see a future libero though as his passing and technique are better than anything I currently have at centre back. Quite excited about this lad.

Miguel Laranjeira - SImilar to Arraiolos in the fact that I can't afford a striker who I have to carry as defending with 10 men against these big guns is hard enough as it is. He's not physical enough either to make a fox in the box so we'll see what we can do and then look to move him on, with a future fee percentage too, if possible.

Fabio Pereira - No relation to Sergio but I wish he'd swap his height with his namesake. Just like many of the other centre backs that have come through my system - he cannot head. More than likely will be used as an anchorman going forward.

[_Ben_]

One-year Youth Development Review

Something I'd like to spend more time analysing - the development the players have in their first year at the club, or the game. Below are the players that entered my youth team last year:

Francisco Mortagua is at Fatima (third tier), Oliveira at Alverca (third tier),  and Brandao at Cova de Piadade (second tier) but none of them have either made an appearance nor look like I may have made a mistake not retaining them.

Flavio Candeias - Has slotted in as the U23 keeper so most games he is under considerable pressure as the team in front of him isn't that good. He's played 25 times in the U23 division, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 21 goals at an average of 6.97. He has made some decent developments in his game and is doing well.

Francisco Bolas - has moved from ineffectual to accomplished in the DMC role this season which would probably indicate that there hasn't been a huge attribute development - however he has done well. Has played 39(3) games across both teams, scoring 5 and making 6 with an average of 7.12 He's also made a short (2 minute) cameo in the first team and is developing really well. The tag of 'Promising Midfielder' is also of interest to me - it may indicate that he has a lot more potential left.

Andre Folha - In the same ilk as my new strikers but making decent progress this season with 12 goals in 40 games for the U19 and U23s. Another with the 'Promising' tag which might mean I can raise some decent money for him as I doubt he'll ever really fit my tactical ideology.

Teles - Has, like Bolas, learnt a completely new position this season - the IF(A) role where I think his pace and dribbling will cause havoc. He's also made decent improvements and has features twice (for a total of 11 minutes) in the first team as well as 11 goals in 35 games at an average of 6.73 for the youth sides (remember - these sides lose quite regularly!). I see him as potentially a massive player going forward.

[_Ben_]

A long term vision

This save will hopefully last the entirety of FM19 so I want to properly lay out the plans for the game. I have managed to split it into four distinct areas, following the  DNA and recruitment process, that should outline the various phases of the game.

Stability

We are now probably through this phase - but when taking over a club that had just been promoted to the lowest division of Portuguese football, I had to stabilise them, financially and off the field. Stability also dictates the style of playing I want to go with - youth only but allowances to sign locally born players as well as a DNA of statistics that I feel will give me the most fun game-wise (which could change as the game goes on). We are into our second season in the top flight and, provided that we stay up this season - I would say that we are now a stable club, turning a small profit (from prize money) each season and a solid set of backroom staff.

Progress

This will come in many guises - maybe through progress towards challenging for more cups (the win was clearly a fluke), selling a player for a substantial sum of money, getting that key player through the intake or just settling on a specific development plan. I would say that some of these overlap with the stability part and we are currently doing that - particularly with the 'sign everyone from the intake' approach whereby I am now developing all three of my squads with nearly equal levels of detail. I would imagine that this progress phase will take anywhere between five and ten years - considering the strength of the big 3 in Portugal. In previous FM saves I have managed to sneak a title victory before spending a few years yo-yoing back and then finally achieving that dominance. It will be a long process, given a) the gap in quality and b) the lack of talent currently being produced in the region but I am confident it can be done.

Domestic Dominance

Here we will have upset the top 3 and turned it to a top four. I would like us to be there in the latter stages of European competitions and being able to sell players for vast sums of money then replace them with homegrown talents, with little worries about wages for my own team. I would expect that Porto, Sporting and Benfica will still be able to put up a fight so that the league will be able to move itself towards the upper echelons, in terms of reputation and players attracted. This phase will take between 10 and 15 years to fully establish - I see 2040/45 as a realistic target period.

Local Dominance

The final stage of the model - developing the local region as a world superpower and maybe even culminating in a European final between two teams from the local Aviero (Baixo Vouga) region. This will rely, initially, heavily on me developing these teams through giving them players allowing them to get promoted, develop their facilities, sell their players on and continue to move forward. I would really like to utilise the affiliate scheme to make sure that several clubs in the area and regularly replenished with players from my own academy as a way to get them to the heights that we will be at the time. I will be able to work on this as the other stages progress (currently have 3 local clubs as affiliates in 2027) but this could take another ten to fifteen years, even after domestic dominance to really come to the fore.

 

 

[_Ben_]

Season Eight Review

What a fantastic season - 13 points and 7 places better off shows what an improvement we've had. We flirted with potentially qualifying for Europe too, but one too many draws ruined that dream. It was a poor season for Braga, who would be expected to finish above us and Portimonense have been performing pretty well over the past few years but that doesn't take away from what we have done here, just two years into our life in the top flight.

This season I have managed to rotate the players a bit more and even give a few minutes to the youth team graduates who have now made the step up into the U23 team, as seen below:

Standout performers this season have been Silveiro, who nearly trebled his league goalscoring record from last year - with all 13 of his strikes coming in the league, Estevao, who is continually a threat on the wing with his pace and Paulo Miranda, who managed to play every minute of our season and has over 100 appearances already at the age of just 19.

Below - you can see the year on year comparison of the key performance indicators that I plan to be use to review the players:

I've kept it quite simple - I will be comparing season to season for minutes played, goals per 90, chances created per 90 and interceptions per 90, with any of this seasons stats in red if they have decreased, green if increased and yellow if they have stayed the same. I know that sometimes AR does not paint the complete picture of a player over the season so have removed that entirely and want to focus more on our gegenpress style so have included interceptions as my attacking players will be expected to do as much of this hard work as defenders.

A quick look would suggest that Estevao has been my standout improver being green in all categories and Madeira the weakest, going red in all of them. Interestingly, Michael Pedro and Jorge Dias have also under-performed in the minutes played and defensive stats - which is a worry as those two, with Madeira make up three quarters of my centre backs.

As a team, and as you'd expect from our better finish, we have scored more and created more chances, and, as we've lost a player from our first team, the other players have had to pick up some extra minutes.

It'll be interesting to continually monitor this and see if on-field KPIs are linked at all to slowed growth or even decline in attributes or changes to roles/positions/styles.

Moving Forward

This is not necessarily good news for us! Although the new stadium is a big improvement on what we currently have and the facilities will be paid for when the season rolls over and we get our new sponsorship TV money, the £350k outgoings a month will severely put pressure on us as we naturally cannot turn a monthly income - even with such tight wage spending.

I'm looking forward to next season! 

[_Ben_]

Recruitment Policy - A refinement

Initially, I had set out to be youth only then extended that to include players born within the local region called Baixo Vouga. However, I now want to slightly extend that for a couple of reasons a) there are very few players who are actually generated from these areas and b) I want to play this game for the most/all timespan of FM19 so want to experience scouting and signing players and I really won't be able to do that with the current settings.

So, local region...

I initially compared our Baixo Vouga region to the Basque country as that is how I intended to shape this club, however I have been mistaken by sizes. Further digging (something I love to do with any FM save) tells me that the editor and real life don't quite match in terms of local regions. But internet research tells me that the Baixo Vouga region houses roughly 300 thousand people - a really small population. Therefore - I propose that the region that I can sign players from extends to the 'Centro Region' of Portugal. Now - this is a 28 thousand km squared area of Portugal - nearly a third of the whole of the country and four times as big as the Basque country, area wise but has a population of just over 2 million, roughly the same as it's Spanish counter part. 

The below image shows the whole Centro Region compared with the Baixo Vouga region:

Now - going back to the discrepancies between the editor and real life, it's not been easy to find a list of towns and cities in these areas - certainly not a definitive one, anyway, so I have used Wikipedia and Google Maps to find the major towns from the area. It might mean that I do miss Centro players but that, if anything, will only make it harder. Below is the list of cities I will be now recruiting from:

In game - that gives me just over 1000 players - with just over 80% of those interested in joining and 1/5 of those under the age of 17 - my target age for signings.

Despite this being a much larger area - we are still really focused on player development from our own club and, in the grand scheme of things, are still pretty restricted!

[_Ben_]

Player Sale

I tend to really focus on the 'why' behind the sale when playing this type of game. I have just made this sale:

 

So - this is my first choice winger, Joao Estevao, who has moved on to Nantes for a club record fee. With the restrictions in place which makes signing a direct replacement tough, I wanted to document my thinking behind it. He has played nearly 200 games for the club, scoring 30 goals - not a great return for an inside forward, albeit on support duty. He has been the most consistent player over the past few years - averaging over 7 in each of the last five seasons. 

However - the income will pay for future upgrades and I have a replacement in Larranjeira. Below is their comparison:

Whilst neither player is technically great (or even good) they are both speedy and great on the counter attack. I don't think I really lose a huge amount with this sale and hopefully can use it to springboard the development of many more new youngsters.

[_Ben_]

New Signing

I have just broken my transfer record (not hard as it's the first time I've spent money and only the second transfer I have made) to sign a player who doesn't fit my U18 development quota but does fit in with something I have always fancied - bringing through players from lower leagues and giving them the chance to develop in the spotlight.

In comes Claudio Magalhaes for £110k.

Firstly, Magalhaes is from Alcobaca, a mere 146km from our city of Aveiro so is very much from the heart of the Centro Region and has spent his entire career at third tier Leiria, scoring 34 times in 163 games as they have repeatedly won their division but fallen short in the playoffs. At 24, I doubt there will be many huge improvements to be made but I do envisage that any spare PA will be used as he'll be experiencing a much higher standard of matches which I hope will be used to increase his passing - his only real glaring weakness. I love his overall attribute balance and the fact that he is two footed - combined with many decent playmaking attributes (although they would be better with a high passing attribute, although he is aware of this due to his solid decision making). Behind the scenes - he was listed as consistent and loving big matches on his scout report - with no flags over injuries (21 in his career to date with the most serious being a hernia and a broken toe as well as a damaged Achilles tendon, although that injury was seven years ago) and his competitiveness. His 'con's now are that his crossing isn't great, he's currently a peripheral figure and he doesn't count towards the league eligibility - three minor things. 

He'll slot in nicely as a rotational option in the AP(S) slot and, if the coach report is accurate, could develop into a good Primeira Liga talent - which could see him move on for a decent profit when the time comes.

[_Ben_]

Injury problems

This is why I needed to keep all of the youth intake - the succession plan of my U23 centre back moving up and then himself being replaced by one of the better U19 centre backs. Not an injury I've seen for a long time.

[_Ben_]

Development and Progress: Teles

A bit of a thinking out loud exercise with this lad, Teles. He's 17 now and well and truly good enough to be part of the first team, plus, is probably rated extremely highly for versatility as has learnt his new position, from ineffectual to natural in a little under two years (but has played there every week for youth teams). Below is a quick indication of his development:

He is developing really well and is still listed as promising (although now as an attacking midfielder rather than a forward). I play him as an IF(A) on the left wing, due to him being right footed. Currently - he has the 'likes to beat offside trap' as his only player trait - which, even with poor decisions is great as it means that he plays right on the shoulder of the backline, almost like a wide forward.

He is most dangerous though, when he picks the ball up in places like shown below, but has an issue when he gets to his final position, as his shooting is relatively poor. 

This is a perfect example of his pace having the better of the full back (#14), even on the outside and then him cutting back onto his right foot. Sadly, he fluffed the shot straight at the keeper and that is pretty much the common theme for this. So - I want to look at how to make the best of this player now that he's on the periphery of my first team.

I've highlighted some of the key stuff there to see. He fits the position due to his footedness and my gegenpress/high intensity style is all about the overload in the final third so this is great but he doesn't really excel at any of the shooting, passing or crossing stuff. What I do see useful though, different from the original setting, is this:

If he sits narrower - it eliminates the wider starting position and reduces the chances for a good defender to keep him wide and force the cross. There are few full backs in this league that can match his pace, combined with ability to dribble and then out-muscle him if they get close, so having him in that half space between the full back (now with the chance to turn him the wrong way) and the centre back will be ideal. The AP(s) will be able to link up and feed him the ball, ready to charge towards the goal.

Looking closer at Teles himself, I was going to teach him some traits - the first being cuts inside and the second being to run with the ball. However, due to the role he is most suited to, I think these are just repeats of his team instructions and aren't the most necessary, at this point. Further down the line, I may choose to add them - particularly if I feel that he's not following the team instructions/my instructions for players around him are not allowing him to play his natural game - but I think, at the moment, I need to give him a trait that will help another part of his game - his finishing.

These are all of the things I can teach him to do in addition to what he'd normally do. I feel these are necessary because he simply is lacking in this area.

• Free kicks - maybe, but not going to help with the situation.
• Long shots - This is a weakness so I don't want to encourage it
• Lob the keeper - He is composed and has good technique but he's not central to the goal, making the angle harder and his poor decisions means he'll be trying it all the time.
• Round the keeper - if judging every future chance by the above screenshot, he's not at the right angle and will have had to beat defenders to be there - so there may be cover past the GK anyway.
• Blast the ball - good strength, aggression and technique - but considering the angle he may be cutting in from - has the potential to go badly wrong.
• Place shots - good composure, flair and technique but his poor finishing means that this may just be a pass to the keeper.
• Rifle free kicks - not helpful for now.
• First time shots - good composure, but where he picks the ball up from will potentially lead to long shots
• Overhead kicks - Not from where he'll get the ball from
• No long shots - not really an issue right now.

Given everything there - I think blasting the ball would work the best. He's cut inside between 18 and 6 yards out facing the keeper and a well struck, powerful shot has a good chance of either beating him at the near or far post. There is the potential for this to be utterly wild but maybe the AF(A) or even if the IF(S) on the other side would be on hand to collect the ball. My assistant, a good finisher himself in Rodrigo Palacios - thinks otherwise:

But he thinks we should teach him to stick to the right hand side of the pitch (yeah, ok?) so clearly I win this one. He thinks 'it's probably going to be a waste of time' and, if it is, we can always undo it.

 

[_Ben_]

Player Sale

Another 'justifying to myself' kind of deal here. I've completed the below sale:

On paper, Resende should be a really top player - but I've been thinking about his, and other's, development through my youth teams. I believe that it's far harder to just throw a player into the first team this year and allow them to perform - as shown by Resende's 5 goals in 50 games. He was generated at a time where I had less infrastructure and less squad depth, so, was forced to promote him to the first team and throw him in at the proverbial deep end. However, he has performed ok in every area except for goals. £900k is a decent mark up on his current value and moving to Palace maintains his position in the shop window - hopefully helping me out financially if he can cut it in England. 

I will compare him to the player who will be replacing him, Andre Folha.

Now, Folha has made remarkable developments from when he first came into the team and I have strictly monitored his development - bringing him off the bench and playing him in cup games. Rather than throwing him into the team as a 2* 16 year old, he's now 18 and has 8 goals in 12 career games - three of those goals coming in the league. He's played in the same youth team as Teles (I really would like them to have developed a relationship on/off field but sadly that doesn't seem possible) and is now ready for the first team, rather than being in the first team to be ready.

I have quite a few other players who are in similar situations, CA wise, who I am trying to nurture enough to be ready to come into the team and excel:

Pereira has made more appearances this season that I would consider normal due to the injury of Raposo but I am ensuring that Bolas, Lima and Pinto are slowly introduced into the first team.

[_Ben_]

Player Signings

A couple of new acquisitions as I look to form a stronghold of young players from the area:

Gabriel moves 40km down the coast from Sever do Vouga for the cost of £30k from Olivieirense - in the third tier. Centre back is not really a position I have a huge amount of depth in and he's reasonably solid across the board, except for his poor heading and awful leadership. He's listed as consistent and nothing has been flagged up about injuries and this, combined with a good personality, should see some good growth.

My second signing from Leiria, this lad makes the 120km journey north on the Atlantic coast to join my U23 squad and is immediately third in line on my depth chart. My scouts liked him and, due to the fact he's classed as a CWB, tells me that there aren't any glaring weaknesses. I am concerned that, at 5'3", he's very small for a full back but looks good on the ball and going forward. He cost £90k.

[kidthekid]

loving the save, loving the detail as well. Keep up the good work.

[s0ni42]

Great stuff. Glad I checked in

[_Ben_]

On 03/12/2018 at 08:44, kidthekid said:

loving the save, loving the detail as well. Keep up the good work.

 

22 hours ago, s0ni42 said:

Great stuff. Glad I checked in

 

Thanks both!

[_Ben_]

Season Nine Youth Intake

I'm happy with this as it covers two of the weaker areas of my squad - a right footed centre back and a more defensive minded midfielder.

Ricardo Almeida

Francisco Mendes

Vitor Pereira

Iuri Botelho

[_Ben_]

Season Nine Review

Missing out on a Champions League place by one goal scored. Seems a reason to be distraught but I am, overall, delighted by our play this season. We've been simply sensational at times and a draw against Porto and a 2-0 victory over Sporting showing that we can actually mix it, despite finishing some twenty points behind Porto. A run to the final of the Taca de Portugal (the other cup - not the one we won a few years back) sees the end to our most successful season to date.

 

I have once again tried to heavily rotate but, when players are in such good form, changing the XI becomes tough. Youngster Andre Folha has developed into my favourite player of this save - the 18 year old led my scoring charts in his breakout season and, at times, it looked impossible for him to miss the net. I like that, despite his poor stat for shots every 90, he scores the vast majority of them - just under three quarters, which shows that a) he's pretty clinical and b) he's getting these shots away in the best possible places.  He came second in the league top scorer charts, with 15 and won the Taca de Portugal top scorer too. Inside forward Teles has finished the season really strongly after a mixed start and scored a magnificent goal - exactly as discussed a few posts back, picking the ball up in the inside left channel on the half way line, skinning three of four, cutting back inside and beating the keeper. He too reached double figures for goals and I hope he continues his development. Volante Vieira completes my top three best players this year - 9 goals is a record high from the DM position and he's becoming an incredibly cultured and important player for us. I have made a slight tweak, moving my right sided attacker, Larranjeira to a W(s) so have moved Vieira to the right sided DM role which has allowed great link up, as opposed to running in to the space Teles occupies in the IF(a) role. The space also has allowed him to start deep but still get forward as much. Despite only being 19, he has now made 142 appearances for us - a great record.

As we move into season number ten - I want to enjoy our time in the Europa League whilst continuing to try and pick up the best local, young talent.

[_Ben_]

Player Sales

Pedro had fallen back to fourth choice centre back and, although decent physically and above average mentally - is really really technically deficient. As such, he simply didn't fit in with my desired style of football and has been moved on for £160k. He made 136 league appearances across the three levels for me and I am surprised that Real have taken a chance on him, considering that they're not too far from our level.

Another experienced player, with 110 appearances for the club and an example of successful retraining, with Balde becoming the backup Segundo Volante in his later time at the club. However, it is probably the 'square peg in round hole' problem that he has fallen in to - too poor defensively for a DMC and not good enough offensively for a proper AMC. He too stays in the Primeira Liga but Chaves are a much smaller side than ours. Francisco Bolas will be promoted to the first team to replace him - and is probably a better player already.

A big one. I am trying to play this game as realistically as I can, and one of those things is to make sure I accept sensible approaches for my players. There is no chance that a club of the size of Beira-Mar, with the finances we currently have and the reputation of the league we play in would allow us to say no to a deal of this size. Trabulo is clearly a great player and was one of my best but there are several re-assuring signs here. Firstly, the contract he has signed at Fulham is massive - with a year left on his £4k p/w deal in Aveiro, there was thoughts that he might be leaving for nothing at the end of this season. Secondly, looking at his development - he hasn't actually developed technically in the last five years. I know that he is an anomaly of a player - coming through being ready for the first team, but that would tell me that there isn't any potential left. He's great for us but I don't really think he's got the ability to make a regular international full back. Tiago Ricardo hasn't developed as much as have liked over the past season but he'll be promoted into the first team in the absence of Luis.

[_Ben_]

Putting the money to use straight away...

[_Ben_]

Incoming Deal

Instead of splashing the cash like the rest of the world, my deadline day was used to tie up a deal for a 16 year old.

André Guilherme signs from Benfica Castelo Branco, of the third tier, and the lad from Coimbra, just 50 miles away, moves for the grand total of £18k. He's been at the club for a couple of months now and his perceived potential has risen from 3* gold (1* black) to 4 and 1 - a significant increase overall. I was drawn to his fantastic personality - which has allowed me to deploy him in the U23 team, playing with players who are nearly 50% older than himself even though his attribute set may not actually be of equal ability. Since this decision, he has grown half a star in ability and I feel his playing time spent with better players (obviously not to the level of first team as he is yet to make his debut) has been beneficial to him. I was drawn to his dribbling, passing, technique, vision and flair as a creative midfielder but also appreciate his work rate and stamina as part of my high pressure approach. I plan to keep him away from mentoring groups as there is nothing that could better his personality nor a team average that can improve his determination. Likewise, I will leave his traits alone as they suit him. Going forward - I would like to make him a little quicker so that he can move more aggressively past people to add another facet to his passing ability and I would really like him to be able to finish once he does get into those good positions.

A signing I'm really excited about developing.

[_Ben_]

'Wonderkid' status

The first of, hopefully, many!

[_Ben_]

Europa League Progress

My first foray into Europe is going well after we overcame this tough group. The impact of travelling has had a major impact on the players with long trips to Moscow and Tiraspol and this has had a noticeable hangover to our following league fixtures, meaning that we've somewhat faltered out way through the early stages of the league. Another consideration is that the size of the first team squad is simply too small to handle a 34 game league season, two domestic cups and a European adventure - with 27 games being played already as I approach the end of December 2028.

[_Ben_]

Season 10 Youth Intake

I'm really happy with this intake as it solves another area where I'm having trouble recruiting and growing my own quality. Pedro Tinoco has the makings of a decent winger and, with some help, may fit in a bit better with my pressing style than I've had before - due to his decent work rate and physical attributes. Leonardo Pimenta has some decent mezzala-esque attributes - which would give me another option in the middle of the park, should he develop enough. Estevao and Madureira are a contrasting pair of centre backs with the latter being completely unable to head the ball (something that I'm perplexed about is the widespread lack of heading ability in my game) and Hugo Silva adds some more potential to an already decent set of goalkeepers.

[_Ben_]

There's no place like home

10 seasons in and there hasn't been a single dual-national regen, despite an Argentine manager and a largely Argentine backroom. This would certainly be a surprise on older FM's - so unsure whether this has been a change in play or I have been unlucky to this point. With that, though, this was bound to happen.

Just to clarify - my current transfer restrictions now apply to any player who was born in the Centro Region of Portugal (29 cities to be precise) or was born in Buenos Aires, the city that my fictional manager was born in and who played for in my FM18 save.

There is my base search but, again, I will be looking for youngsters, those who fit my DNA and potentially undervalued players who can come in and do a job. 

[_Ben_]

2028/29 Season Review

     

We continue to make steady progress as we continue to massively overachieve given the squad that we have (youngest squad, fourth lowest average wage, eleventh best passing, worst tackling and fourteenth best natural fitness to name a few) but after four seasons in the top flight, we are still a significant way off the top. Sporting have had a mixed year - making the second knockout round of the Europa League in Jose Rafael Vieira's third season at the helm. Last season they recorded a net transfer gain of over £35m and this year just over £5m which shows that they are simply unable to keep their best players - something which a Porto, led by (non-regens) Perr Schuurs, Josh Tymon and, strangely, Chris Mepham and Benfica, with Lucas Torreira can do. We have a tenth of the budget of these massive clubs so any gains that I can make, in the short term, will need to be on the pitch rather than off it.

A fantastic run in the Europa League may change my priorities over the coming years - as we've shown that we can mix it with teams of a similar stature to ourselves (CSKA Sofia are current runners up in the Bulgarian league whilst Rennes finished 5th in Ligue Une. Chelsea, sixth in the Premier League last year, were a step too far but we were never really out of the tie and a 2-0 loss away from home sealed our fate - with Chelsea winning the competition.

In terms of my team - this is how they have performed this season:

The first thing to bring to attention is 53 games with a first team squad of just nineteen players is a really hard thing to manage and this is something I will look to rectify over the summer with a full breakdown of the squad and a couple of more experienced signings, from within my limits, of course.  Whilst Andre Folha didn't live up to his first season returns of nearly a goal-a-game, the difficult second season was still relatively fruitful and he continues to lead the line at a young age. It was his youth intake team-mate, Teles who has stepped up to the bar and scored 18 times - often really good individual goals. He is attracting a lot of interest and, in the nature of the save, I am willing to let him go - for the right price. Ideally a move back to Brazil, where Corinthians are interested - would be my ideal bet. I think I can get at least £15m but the kicker is that I would demand 50% of his next sale - which would hopefully be back to Europe to a giant like PSG for a big fee. Tiago Ricardo is the weakest player in the first team based on star rating and had the hardest job replacing record sale Luis Trabulo (who has done absolutely awfully at 15th placed Fulham with a 6.57 AR) but he has done pretty well. He's tiny and his headers won stat is by far the worst of my defensive players - so I need to ensure that a minimal amount of crosses come in from the left flank - but I'm working on closing down those areas on the left to minimise that. Lastly, Francisco Bolas has enjoyed a really good first season in the first team and has cemented himself as a key player, ousting either Vieira (last season's top performer) or Tavares. He's a little lacking defensively but the VOL(s) has suited him really well as he's popped up with some important goals, too.

One last piece of news is, this:

[_Ben_]

Transfer Dealings - 2029/30 Outgoings

Joao had somewhat stagnated at the club, despite making over 150 appearances for us. At 6'1" tall, he really should be able to head the ball better that he does. In a defence that also has a 5'3" full back in it, having two players who are winning less than 70% of their headers is a real concern for me. Furthermore, the ability on the ball is just not what I want from my defenders. He moves on for £155k and drops down a tier, where he'll probably be able to find his feet.

I really had to think hard about this one - Joao Santos was one of the first season regens who I inherited at the start of the game. He has made substantial progress in his attributes and has been really important in our growth to where we are now. However, I feel that we have now outgrown him and, with a slightly formation change that removes the AMC, he is probably not going to feature. With only 30 appearances in the last two years - he's slid down the pecking order and it probably for the best that I allow him to move on and continue his career elsewhere.

I also accepted two offers for winger Teles - one from Flamengo and another from Koln. Both of these were north of £16m up front with 50% of the next sale and a loan back for the year - however, quite surprisingly, he rejected both in order to stay. I hope that this means I can keep him for at least another year and hope that then the big boys do come in and I can sell for £30m+.

I plan on no other outgoings at this time.

[_Ben_]

Transfer Dealings - 2029/30 Incomings

Louro moves from Braga but hails from Esmoriz, some 40km south of Aveiro and joins a relatively weak area of our team - striker. He's got a decent mental base, particularly the hard working side to him and his physicals are in good shape - probably from a successful loan at third tier Lusitanos. He'll remain in the development squad for now but I will look to improve his attacking mental attributes (concentration and anticipation) as well as his first touch and finishing.

A rare non-regen and an aging lad. Silva is from neighbouring Coimbra and joins on a free transfer from Chaves. Initially at Benfica as a youth player, Silva moved to Juventus before moving around Serie B with Palermo and Trapani. He moved back to Portugal with Boavista, then Portimonense before Boavista again and then two years at Chaves where he was first choice. He's the wrong side of thirty and does come with a hefty (for us anyway) wage as well as being the third of my four centre backs to be left footed but he does offer a very safe option. As good with his feet as with his head - he'll give me a good short term indicator of how my deep transitional phase will work.

Sarue is the first of the Buenos Aires born players to arrive, on a bosman from relegated Operario. Three years ago, they saw something in him and broke their club record to purchase him for £8m. I think they have massively overpaid but he looks like a good player, even if his technical attributes are skewed slightly by his dead ball ability. He's been consistent in his time in the country and did lead the league last year, sadly it was for red cards with four to his name. I imagine he'll get most of his minutes from the bench but I do fancy his as a dark horse to out perform his coach rating.

Any further signings will be documented separately as I still search for a replacement for Joao Silva.

[_Ben_]

Controlling the midfield

(and thus controlling attacking play).

I feel that I'm at a key point in this save, albeit not a point that, once rectified, will lead to the end goal but one that can give me the leg up to achieve that. We're a good side to watch and I do enjoy watching the footage, imagining the 2D dots doing what I see on a real life football pitch. On paper, we are weak - very weak and we do not have the depth or ability (due to self imposed transfer restraints) to be able to stick a really strong team on the pitch and make do tactically.

Therefore, I need to get the biggest advantage I can. With some decent defenders (I have the screenshots ready for a full depth chart run down) and really good wingers and forwards who pretty much choose their own roles - I'm left with the midfield triumvirate, who are my only real chance to micro-manage on the pitch to make those marginal gains.

Firstly - a look at the depth I have:

I currently have six first team players who are capable of playing in the central roles of the team - with Bolas being the best (and the youngest) and Sarue being the new signing. In terms of the DNA, the gegenpress style, I would suggest that Magalhaes, Tavares and Vieira are the best fit here - being able to run hard and close down for the 90 minutes. However, when looking at our attacking player, Bolas and once again Vieira would be the best as they can pass a ball much better than the rest. Obviously there are more attributes behind these key indicators that come into play.

Next - the roles I can play. I want to be able to rotate between positions and roles depending on who is fit to play, in form and the opposition that we are playing against. Below are those that I would consider viable:

I have not included the 3 AMC and 3 DMC versions as I don't feel that these are playable in my style. Porto currently play a 4231 with an AMC (Tahith Chong at the moment in the SS(a) role) so I would probably look at the first formation here - man marking him with a DM(d) or even an A(d). I would rather avoid the DLP or AP slots as I believe that they don't close down much and I don't want to restrict my play, particularly as we look to counter-press in transition and naturally have a lot of pacey players. I would also look to avoid a BWM(s) in these roles as closing down is already high due to our high press and I worry that he'd just be permanently out of position. I would also prefer to leave out the Mez(s) or Mez(a) due to their conflicting runs with the W(s) or IF(a) unless he can effectively swap and move outside as the inside forward moves inside. This leaves the below roles:

DM:

Defensive Midfield (defend or support)

Anchor Man (defend)

Half Back (defend)

MC:

Central Midfield (defend, support or attack)

Box to Box Midfielder (support)

Carrilero (support)

AMC:

Attacking Midfield (support or attack)

Shadow Striker (attack)

 

We've really got a lot of quite generic roles left that I can adapt to suit the needs of these players. I think they could all work, except for maybe the Car(s) but that is mainly due to the fact that I have never used one before. I am currently experimenting with a CM(s) and a CM(a) with an A(d) behind them but I need to use the pre-season to determine what options can work to give me defensive stability, allow me to play a high press and create chances for us.

[_Ben_]

Squad Depth - 2029/30

Goalkeepers:

Left Backs:

Right Backs:

Centre Backs:

Central Midfielders:

Wingers/Wide Attackers:

Forwards:

[_Ben_]

August 2029

A quiet month as we begin our new season and I look into the specifics of in-game play to try and maximise the potential that this side has. We kicked off with a fairly easy away victory at Aves - although we couldn't break them down and in the end turned strikerless (ST off for AMC) to be able to stretch the play. Teles scored a close range header and new signing (more on his later on) Adrian Medina scored a peach of a half volley just minutes after making his debut. Two dropped points at home to Portimonense as we gave up our lead thanks to an 89th minute strike from a free-kick rebound - again we dominated possession but striker Folha seems out of sorts since his blocked transfer to Porto and is now unhappy so I can't talk to him about his performance. We annoyingly allowed ourselves to be hit on the counter in only the third minute away at Porto - with full back Josh Tymon running free from our corner and providing a simple finish for their forward. We responded really well but couldn't get that bit of luck we perhaps needed.

[_Ben_]

Player Sale

If Trabulo was the big sale, that's not paled into comparison. This is an absolutely massive sale for any Portuguese club, let alone one who hasn't broken into the big three yet. The £20m initial fee gives us a bank balance of nearly £50m - which, again is fantastic for us - should we find the players who fit our criteria and will help us improve. Dortmund are a massive club, but not quite of the level of Bayern, Barca, Real, PSG or Man Utd (in game!) and have finished second, second and fourth in the three seasons the Bundesliga has been active for. They currently having Breel Embalo as their first choice winger but he is linked heavily with a move to Madrid so I would hope and expect Teles to take that berth.  My goal is to see him excel in Germany and move to PSG for £100m - netting me a total of £80m in the deal, something that I'd never be able to initially achieve, especially given his value has stalled at £4m.

[_Ben_]

New Signing

Adrian Medina joins on loan for a year from Argentine giants River Plate as he was born in Buenos Aires. I initially saw him as a replacement for for Joao Santos but he looks like he could become a really important player for me. His contract expires at the end of the season so I will be able to make a judgement in January on his progress before hopefully picking him up for free. I like his 'DNA attributes' - technique is high, as is workrate, determination and decisions and he's reasonably physical for a wide man. There are no red flags - he's consistent, versatile, enjoys big matches and there is nothing about injuries or competitive streaks - in fact, his cons are about him being a peripheral figure in the dressing room and the fact he can't jump! 

Despite the loss of Teles - I am still reasonably happy going into the second month of the season with the squad that I have.

[_Ben_]

September 2029

A really tough month for us - with only the one victory coming in the Europa League. Two headed goals, both from free kicks cost us at home to Chaves but aside from that, they posed absolutely no threat to us. This was mirrored in the Varzim game where we were completely unchallenged but failed to put serious pressure on their goal. A stern word before the game to Andre Folha about his inability to lead the line saw him spring into action against Betis, who are currently mid table in La Liga but then we've returned to our drab play in the league, capitulating against Setubal against more set piece goals. A solid draw away at Sporting ends the month on a high and, whilst I expect us to get much better, we're looking a shadow of a former selves.

[_Ben_]

October 2029

We've bounced back with a bit more green on the board but we are nowhere near our free-flowing selves, scraping by third tier Electrico, albeit with few familiar faces in the first team. Youngsters Pereira and Louro both opened their scoring accounts for me in the win over Rio Ave - our first win in six. We are regularly getting into good positions but are trying one pass too many, or simply cannot hit the target with our shots and every time the ball nears our box, I fear that we will concede. We do have a small squad, and a particularly poor defensive unit heading wise but I do expect us to not panic with every set piece - considering we have put it into our training routine two times per week.

[_Ben_]

Vitor Pereira - Player Development

The heir to the Teles thrown may be on his way to the first team. In Vitor Pereira, I have a similar styled player who is developing really well and is in a position to get some first team minutes. As you saw from my squad depth screen, I was training him as a winger to try and balance out some attribute points - but I'm now moving back to the IF(a) role to maximise the attribute points in his key areas. Interestingly, here is a comparison between he and Teles (Pereira is on the right) at the same age. Below you can see a comparison between March 2028 and November 2029:

Whilst he has made some good attribute gains - the key here, for me, is that he has also developed his right foot from 'Right Only' to 'Right' and has also trained from 'Ineffectual' to 'Competent' in the AML position. My coaches initially rated him as 1.5* CA and 3.5* with one star black PA but now rate him as 2* CA and 4* (with one star black CA) which would indicate that there has been a significant rise in CA possible leading to a better chance of reaching that potential he has.

Looking at the player that he is now - he has solid IF attributes - he can dribble with good technique, finish and is relatively quick. In addition to that, he brings some good all around physicality to the role, some size which will be great to get on the end of crosses and a decent work rate and stamina that will allow him to press hard for 90 minutes. His player trait of 'Runs with ball through the centre' means that he will naturally find the half space or even central spaces when he picks the ball up - probably meaning that he'll act more as a Raumdeuter than an inside forward, who cuts inside with the ball. His only glaring weakness here is his complete inability to concentrate, something which will hopefully develop over time. His two coach report 'cons' are his crossing and that his current ability is suited for Liga Pro teams, rather than top division teams.

Going forward, I'd like him to get a little more agile and use that dribbling and flair to get past people quickly but there is nothing else I want to specifically focus on.

I'm excited about his development.

EDIT: First game since this post, he pops up at the far post and nods in a header, as discussed, for his second of the season.

[_Ben_]

November 2029

A much improved month as we now are seeming to find our feat in the league. It did take a late rally to secure victory over Moreirense, who themselves had shocked me with an undeserved 88th minute goal. The Europa League victory against Slovak champions (I haven't heard of them either) was straightforward and it was good to see a few different names on the score sheet. We carried that momentum into the Varzim game but have this habit of not being able to go the full 90 minutes without making a silly mistake - this time being caught square from a long ball over the top and leaving their striker an easy tap in. Despite Cova being one of the weaker teams in this league, I chose a strong side for our cup game and moved our attacking width a bit wider - in an attempt to put pressure on their 3-4-3 shape. The aforementioned Pereira goal highlighted that tactical win and he was joined on the scoresheet with a 30 yard screamer from Magalhaes. I knew a draw against Betis would be enough to send us through but I sent out an attacking team in hopes of being able to top the group (we finish with a game against Werder) and it took another late rally before another late mistake for the game to end in a deserved draw. 

We seem to have found our scoring boots this month but we are already way off the pace in the league and with Porto already potentially being 14 points ahead after 11 rounds - we have much improving to do if we want to get anywhere near the top of this league and challenge for Champions League places or honours.

In other news, our stadium has been delayed again and the move-in date now looks to be the end of January - a long time after the original July date!

[_Ben_]

December 2029

We are becoming somewhat draw specialists at the moment - with four straight draws slowing down our progress in the league. We are, at least, getting the most out of our Taca de Portugal campaign with 2 of our 3 games going to extra time, and this one saw Pereira net what is hopefully the first hatrick of his career. A really good win over Benfica where we, probably, didn't deserve a lot, sees us take 4 points from our first round of fixtures against the big three - a solid start. We had already crashed out of the Taca de Liga so made 11 changes and were, as expected, defeated.

[_Ben_]

Analysing player development and suitability

Certainly not a new thing to FM, but I have been more and more interested in the use of Excel for formula and tracking in addition to note taking. I have looked around to find what I'm after but have not been able to really find what fits my needs at the moment, so have spent half an hour or so building my own. I am putting great emphasis on development of players within this save so want another tool to be used in addition to my first instinct to decide how I develop or utilise a player. I could look at the highlighted numbers for each player in the variety of roles and then make my mind up from there - but I've created a percentage rating for each area of the team - goalkeeper, wing back, defender, defensive/supporting/offensive midfielder, wide attacker and forward. I can then take that information and look at a variety of other information, such as height, player traits, potential etc before making a more informed decision.

As mentioned - I saw people have used a weighted system so wanted to add my own twist to it - I have weighted it to what is a) important to the role and b) what is important to my playing style. Below are the attributes I have weighted for each of the areas of the pitch, with the red text showing where there is an overlap for my underlying club DNA.

I can then copy and paste the attributes for my squad and be given a % of how 'good' they are in that type of role - note: this doesn't give them a preferred role or duty, just an idea of what kind of position they could play, should the rest of their attributes and style fit that. 

Here is my first team squad when imported:

I would argue that something is slightly out as it rates Folha (6 tackling and 9 marking) as one of my best centre backs but the idea is simple - I can compare like for like players - e.g. Nuno Lima is the stronger FB, for my style, than Joaquim Sarabando but this doesn't take into account their traits, height, potential for further growth, wages, happiness etc etc! It also allows me a comparison between my first team and youth team and when a player might be ready to make the step up. Take Vitor Pereira, who I posted about - he's potentially my new IF(a) but actually, he's probably better as a striker. However, he's not as good as Folha nor Silveiro in that role and, as such, I need look to develop him elsewhere.

In my U23 - I have some players who are potentially good enough to get some first team minutes - Mendonca, Louro and Guilherme in particular. An area that, as mentioned, it doesn't work with, is how they perform on the pitch. Andre Pinto is highly rate as a defensive midfielder but has simply not impressed in the 30 odd appearances he's made over the last four years and is not pulling up any trees on loan at Cagliari in Serie A.

As time goes on, I want to use this to compare players at different points of their development to see if I am developing the right areas of their game and also for the youth intake - as this gives them the greatest time to be retrained, if necessary as well as deciding on whether to actually sign them or not.

 

[_Ben_]

January 2030

A great month with perfect form in the league - seeing us move up to sixth place. We are beginning to look more confident in front of goal, moving the ball patiently until an opportunity arises to make a quick pass or a darting run. I have tried to rotate this month to keep players fresh for our continued run in Europe and that was largely to blame for our cup exit, where I fielded a predominantly youth squad. We are still being beaten too easily - normally through a long ball through the half space or over the top of the defence. I largely play two DM's as some extra cover for my defence but I've also moved the defensive line back to limit the space over the top, even though my centre backs are pretty pacy, well positioned and can anticipate. 

Next month we face Porto and have both legs of the Europa League knockout tie with Valencia.

We have also completed our relocation:

[_Ben_]

Analysing the goals conceded

I've noted that I'm not really keeping clean sheets at the moment - the goals aren't really costing us too much at the moment but I need to try and sort out the issue. My first job was to identify where we are conceding goals. The below graphic gives me the answer I expected.

 

My initial go to was to reduce the high line and to play wider to try and stop crosses but that hasn't worked - we are still shaky when a through ball is played in the middle of the park and when something comes into the box. What I want to do is to break down the past few goals of these types we have conceded and see if I can try and resolve this issue:

Goal 1 - vs. Porto

Porto are breaking and the aggressive counter press has meant that both right back and centre back (same circle) have been drawn to the ball. The left back (#41) is way out of position and this leaves an easy cross field ball to their number 9, who slots it away. This classes as a through ball due to it's length but I'm really unsure of what I can do to rectify this, aside from changing corner instructions or making us more efficient at holding the ball in their final third.

Goal 2 - vs. Porto

 

I would say that we look solid here and that we've cut out most of the possible passes, as is the style of play we employ. If anything, I would worry that their number 10 is in too much space (this may be a side effect of our 'defend wider' instruction I had added earlier) but the long ball goes between left back and centre back and then their number ten crosses it to the six yard box for a simple tap in for their number 9. Whilst there is a player attempting to block the pass, this could be down to an attribute inbalance as his tackling, anticipation and workrate are relatively low.

Goal 3 - vs Portimonense

The image on the left shows where Djassi picks the ball up and he is not closed down until he releases the ball between the two centre backs into the path of their number 9 who takes it past my keeper and slots it in. It is worth noting that my right back doesn't close the ball, merely getting back into the correct position. Both defensive midfielders DM(d) and Vol(s) chase back but would appear to be too far out of position to be able to do anything in time to stop this.

Goal 4 - vs Braga

We are defending so narrow here but I noticed that my DM(d) (#17) had to step out a long way to close their MC, and, for some reason, the Vol(s) is ahead of the play - even though their other MC was not involved in the build up. By the time he stepped out, the player had time to pick the pass and, again, some poor marking from my number 2 allow the player space to finish into the bottom corner.

 

I need to go away and think about this - but my initial thoughts would be to drop back to a 4-1-2-2-1 formation with a DM (to provide stability for when my full backs go forward) and two MCs (to be closer to make the press easier) or moving the two DMs up to the MC strata but keeping one on defend and one on support. I have always favoured DMs and AMs because it means I can have less specialised players - i.e. the DMC doesn't need to be able to pass or finish and the AM doesn't need to be able to tackle. Moving to MCs will mean that they need to be more rounded - but we will see how that goes. 

 

[_Ben_]

Immediate tactical analysis

I want to run this over a few games but have a few things from the very next game.

We faced Guimaraes, 9th in the league, at home. They are playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, which is the favourite for the majority of the league. New boss Marco Arnautovic prefers a direct attacking approach.

I decide to go ahead with my tactical change and move the 2 DMs up to the MC strata. I play a DM(d) on the left and a BBM(s) on the right. The general thinking is that this will close the gap to the midfielders, who are playing these through balls and make it easier to cut off before it comes over the top. I have also moved the GK from a SK(d) to a SK(s) to help with this line.

Their first goal comes from this position:

 

For clarity -

#6 - our AMC

#55 - our BBM(s)

#7 - our MC(d)

#23 - Marcos Aurelio. Their AMC, probably playing in the AP role as suggested by my scouts. One of their better and inform players.

 

Firstly, I'm unsure as to why the left sided MC is closing down - it would appear that he has passed his man (their #14) on to the AMC and has moved over first. This obviously has given Aurelio more time on the ball. The gap between the lines is not huge (something I always worry about) but he is still able to pick a pass over the top for their number 9 to finish calmly.

This is clearly a mismatch - they have a player in this strata and I don't. However, it works both ways. I need to decide whether I want to be pro-active and try and cause threats myself or merely re-active, snuffing out their offensive before giving myself a chance to score.

I went on to win the match as they made a stupid change to a 3-5-2 at half time, moving Aurelio back and removing him from the dangerous areas.

[_Ben_]

February 2030

A pretty poor month overall with an absolute capitulation against Setubal (we also lost the home leg 3-1). We started by getting beaten on the counter, twice, by Porto despite being very in the game for the majority before a scrappy draw against Chaves. We outplayed Valencia but couldn't beat them and the Guimaraes game ended in a victory when, as mentioned, they made a silly tactical change and I was able to dominate them down the wings. The bad week begain with a trip to Valencia where we didn't get a single shot on target and only attempted two before conceding three crossed goals to Setubal.

We've a long way to go if we want to get things correct on the pitch - but the monthly overview and detailed analysis is really helping me learn about our play.