[FM19] Manchester United

[zlatanera]

The most successful club in English football with, among other honours: 3 European Cup / Champions League titles, 1 Europa League, 20 Premiership titles and 12 F.A. Cup wins. The majority of this success has come under two managers: Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. Since Sir Alex's retirement in 2013 things have been rather a mixed bag, Louis Van Gaal won the F.A. Cup before being relieved of his duties, and Jose Mourinho won the club's sole Europa League title in his first season before getting a 2nd placed finish in 2017-18. Onwards and upwards, right? Well, in real life the jury's out, can any of us do better? 

Wikipedia

Club Philosophies

Play attacking football

Sign high profile players

Sign young players for the first team

Develop young players using the club's youth system

Expectations

Champions League qual. (league), reach F.A. Cup final, reach Uefa Champions League quarter final, League Cup not important - £82.8m transfer budget, £500k/week available wage budget.

Winner (league), winner (F.A. Cup), reach final (Uefa Champions League), League Cup not important - £99.81m transfer budget, £837k/week available wage budget.

First Team Squad

Goalkeepers

 

 

 

This is really the one area of the team where you're set for the foreseeable future, provided you don't need an out-and-out sweeper keeper for your playing style. 

David De Gea is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world right now and has been for a few years, and is certainly the best conventional goalkeeper on the game. That low rushing out stat will hurt you if you need more of a Neuer type. He has a 1 year extension option in his contract, I would highly advise activating it to strengthen your negotiating position on a new contract.

One of the best backup goalkeepers in the league, Romero has the surreal honour of being Argentina's undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper despite not making over 10 appearances in a league season since 2012/13 at Sampdoria (when a certain Scotsman was still in charge at Old Trafford). Starts out the game still suffering from the injury that made him miss the World Cup, which is expected to last him 3 months into your season.

Most people will have forgotten Lee Grant is at the club despite him being a new signing this season - as 3rd goalkeeper he would not be expected to get any playing time, and as such can be found in your under 23 squad. I'd advise promoting him to the first team squad and keeping him on the bench until Romero returns, perhaps even give him a run out in the League Cup.

 

 

 

 

Defenders

 

 

 

Perhaps too many options at centre back here, with a mix of youth and experience at right back and only one proper left back. 6 of them have contracts ending in 2019 so if you're not sold on one of them, you may have to be prepared to accept a cut-price offer. 

The man of 1,000 faces and 1,000 matching injuries is still here, apparently having made his most league apps since 2013/14 last season. If you can manage his injuries, could be a useful rotation option. Don't hold me to this but he appears to have lost something mentally since last season, which was probably overdue.

Asking "is Chris 'Mike' Smalling any good?" is like asking Erwin Schrödinger if his cat is dead. SI's opinion seems to be "kinda". Slightly less technical than Jonas and also injury prone according to his report, I would probably look to keep him around in case of an injury crisis but not renew his contract.

After a promising debut season last year Bailly was initially held back by injury, then by Mourinho for nonsensical reasons - perhaps he made a costly mistake on one of Mourinho's FM saves? Your best centre back option, with some room to improve. I would pair him with Lindelöf as a sort of race-swapped second coming of Ferdinand-Vidic. Again, "fairly susceptible to injuries" and "has a competitive streak" so if he lets you down for one or both of those reasons, at least his long contract should ensure a fair price.

Yet another centre back who divides opinion, Marcus Rojo begins the season with a calf strain potentially ruling him out for 3 months. Has a competitive streak but isn't rated as injury prone, isn't too much of a slouch which is good when he's accomplished at LB. I would personally rate him better than Jones and Smalling but still shouldn't be first choice when he's fully fit. 

Captain of Manchester United yet barely speaks a word of English, but he's a worker and the fans love him for it. Starts out with a 2 month injury, is the wrong side of 30 and has an expiring contract but I'd advise getting him an intensive language course and renewing his contract - that 17 NF combined with an apparent slowing of the decline of older players in this version means he could be valuable for a couple more seasons whilst you groom his successor (see below). A former winger who is probably better at the defensive arts than going forward, but your best right back option.

As Mourinho moaned all summer about needing new centre backs, many of us would spare a thought for poor Victor Lindelöf, signed at great expense from Benfica, made a couple of mistakes on his debut and now apparently written off by the most short-termist of short-term managers after only one season. FM reckons he has another level of ability in him though, and I would agree. Unlike all of the above has no injury / discipline problems and is technical enough to be a long term option as a DM playmaker should you desire, I would make him your first choice centre back. 

Another converted winger, and another who divides opinion. Last year Ashley Young eventually played well enough to nail down that left back spot through good form as much as the manager's hatred of the other options, and got himself back into the national squad as England actually played well at a World Cup. IRL he's been a right back with Shaw's return to prominence, FM has him equally capable at RB, LB and LM. For his versatility I'd at least let his contract run down rather than shipping him out. If nothing else, the new ball physics in FM19 combined with his "Curls Ball" trait should be fun to watch when he does get a look in. 

When he signed for United in 2014 few would have guessed that some guy called Kane who scored a couple for Spurs in the previous season would have 30 caps and Luke Shaw would have just 7, but circumstances have not been kind to the man. That Hector Moreno tackle cut him off as he was beginning to look unplayable and when he did return to fitness, he was being coached by a man known for being just a tad unsympathetic to injured players. Although he's forced his way back into the team this season and looks good so far, he was rightly downgraded on FM last January and looks to be about the same level still. Injury prone with low natural fitness he might not be the left back option for your future CL winning squad but he's still a good LB for the league and your best option in the current squad. Contract expires in 2019, I would advise extending as quality full backs are hard to come by even for a club of United's resources.

Signed after only 6 league apps for Porto in a rare punt on youth by a man known for never doing such things, Dalot starts out a serviceable option at RB, slightly inferior to Valencia but with the potential to be one of the best. I'd look to break him in slowly, get him in a mentoring group with Valencia and then allow him more game time until he's your undisputed 1st choice by the start of the 3rd season. No injury / disciplinary problems, incredibly. 

Darmian starts out in your u23s and to be honest as a United fan I didn't realise he was still on the books until I loaded up the game. Defensively very solid with a competitive streak and an expiring contract, I'd move him up to the first team. Could be useful if you play with more restrained full backs, and his versatility is a plus but realistically 3rd choice in every position he can play.

 

Central Midfielders

 

 

 

After the sheer overload of options in defence, we get onto one of the more dysfunctional sectors of the squad. A few guys at roughly a similar level but only one real standout player, and what a standout player he is.

A new signing from following the well-trodden pathway of Brazil -> Donetsk -> Europe, Fred appears to be a reasonably well-rounded playmaker. No traits means you can mould him how you like to an extent, he's got room to grow and no negatives of note in his report. If you play a 3-man midfield he'll definitely be in and around your starting XI. Although he's natural at DM his positioning is a bit low for the level United are at so I wouldn't trust him there. 

Part of the Chelski-fication of Manchester, Matic is your best defensive midfield option once he returns from a 2 month injury. A bit slow, I had great success with him as an Anchor Man on the previous game and he doesn't seem to have changed much. "Runs With Ball Through Centre" is something I'd look to get rid of as his attribute profile does not suit it. His is an uninspiring role and as such I have little to say about him.

A man of many roles - when he first signed he scored with his first 7 shots on target and seemed to be a stereotypical Spanish midfielder, until we all realised he's not that short and has quite a bit of bite to go with his lack of bark. Mostly used by Mourinho to man-mark Eden Hazard, he's suited to most midfield roles although I wouldn't ask him to dribble or shoot too much. Has a competitive streak which combined with his "Argues With Officials" trait could lead him into trouble.

Much like Fellaini will always remind fans of the failings of the succession, I fear McTominay may be forever most known as the guy used by his manager to make a point to Paul Pogba. In terms of attribute profile looks capable of becoming a taller version of Herrera. In keeping with United tradition, I'd give him a chance. If you cut him loose just make sure you always have a homegrown player in the match squad.

Yet another player where nobody's 100% sure how good he is, you only have to look at his physique to see why Mourinho likes him. Performed well at the World Cup and that personality is good to have around, can offer something different to the rest of the midfield options. Competitive streak.

The standout option. Although #Pogback has gone missing more often than not in the two years since, on FM you shouldn't have any such issues. The technicality of Modric combined with the physicality of (insert physical player here, trying not to be racist), that "Dwells On Ball" trait might cause the odd loss of possession but he is truly one of the best midfielders in the game, getting him going will be integral to any success in a United save.

 

Attacking Midfielders

 

 

 

Three right-footed left wingers and two central playmakers and people wonder why in real life we have no width. Still, the quality is good so if you should find a way to make it work.

Criminally underrated by most fans who (with some justification) assumed United fans were biased towards an academy product, Jesse Lingard finally seemed to be getting some deserved respect after scoring a peach for England in the World Cup. Haven't really seen much from him since, although the same could be said for most of United's squad. His traits should give some interesting movement, he's an intelligent, versatile player and a local boy. Should be on the bench for every game. 

After two years in Spain playing for a very bad team (Granada) and a good one (Valencia), this is supposed to be Pereira's breakout year. Last seen as a defensive midfielder, suggesting the manager was descending into self-parody, not much has been written about him this year. In-game, he seems unchanged from the last two FMs. Quite versatile, good on set pieces and with an abundance of flair, perhaps give him a run in the team to see what you can get from him. 

Given the Chelsea game at the weekend was his most impressive performance since putting two past Liverpool in 2015, perhaps overrated by SI. Lacking a touch of physicality but a very good option in the hole or perhaps as a supporting inside forward out on the right. "Nicest Guy In Football"tm should manage to earn himself a renewal on that expiring contract, unless you play no No. 10 and an out-and-out winger on the right. I would look to use that vision of his to feed our abundance of pacy forwards (see below).

Swapped for Mkhitaryan to spite Pep in a statement about just how far the club has fallen, Sanchez has never failed to disappoint in real life, despite that last minute winner against Newcastle. Rated as a natural inside forward but could probably do a shift on the right or up top with those attributes and traits, you should look to get the best out of him for at least one season, then probably flog to the highest bidder to get rid of them wages and allow Martial and Rashford room to bloom. If you're not into youth development, should be good for at least 3 years.

After a promising debut season, stagnated somewhat under Mourinho's watch. Seemed to be coming good before the Sanchez signing and now again is hitting form. Although he can play as a striker I'd use him as an IF-At and get him one-on-one with some defenders to bamboozle. His potential is one of the reasons I'd be open to bids for Sanchez. Contract expires in 2019, I'd highly advise negotiating a new one at the start of your save.

 

Striker(s)

 

 

 

Another young attacker who has stagnated under Mourinho's watch, I expected to include Rashford in the earlier section, but the game has him as a natural AF as well as IF. As a local boy with tons of potential I'd be looking to give him ample playing time either rotating with your left winger or striker, or perhaps even as a classic big man-little man partnership with Lukaku as although he's not short, aerial ability is not a strong point whilst pace most certainly is. Also, IF YOU SELL HIM I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND[Censored, Ed.]

A flat-track bully or a man who has only played for small teams and big teams under a manager who approaches big games like a small team, the man still performs. Give him the right service and he should crack the 30 goal mark. Just don't talk about his rumoured 3rd leg. 

 

I've kept a save just to do this thread with a small database and all English leagues loaded, so if anyone wants a look at some of the academy prospects I'll screenshot them too, or if you have any other questions. I feel like this should be enough to sell you on a United save though.

Edited October 23, 2018 by zlatanera
spoilers are hard

[Jamie Cortez]

So again this year Transfer funds can be almost endless allowing you to shape your squad for numerous seasons to come.

 

For me out of personal choice Lindelof of Lukaku are both expendable and my highest profile players to sell. Lukaku couldn't attract sufficient interest so is still with me but only playing rotationally  (ie when the beta excessive injuries stack up)

From the 2nd season i intend to add Gomes and Chong into the senior team to push their progression as both are highly rated PA wise.

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by Jamie Cortez

[zlatanera]

In my own save I've decided to go with a small database featuring all levels of the English pyramid and the top 10 divisions according to Uefa coefficient, plus Eredivisie for those Ajax regens if the save takes. 

I normally don't like having a first window transfer budget, but there's a glitch with it so I'll just take the money. I know United's squad better than any other so I guess I don't mind beginning the reshaping a bit earlier than on another save where I'd need time to familiarise myself with everyone.

I'm going to have a policy of not signing any foreign youth players - if I can't fill a position from local youth or find a British player then I'll look abroad, but not before. Especially as mentoring makes it harder to change personalities as fast. May change this to just no youth signings whatsoever. 

[Deano565]

Signed Benjamin Pavard for his £31.5m release clause (you have to get in quickly before he gets offered a new contract) and he's doing well so far, either alongside Lindelof with both as BPDs in games where I want to dominate possession, or in a Cover role next to the more aggressive Bailly. 

Other signings I made:

- Tierney (£26m) First choice LB sorted for the next 10+ years.

- Pavon (£10m) Poor first touch and technique let him down but he's a great option to add legs in tough games. 20 natural fitness, 19 stamina, 16 for work rate and determination. Will do a job for a couple of seasons until I have a chance to overhaul the squad. 

- Neves (£40m) The midfield metronome I want in Michael Carrick style.

Long term I'm coveting Milinkovic-Savic to play in a 3 with Neves and Pogba, Sancho to give some more quality out wide, and a naturally left-sided BPD like Kimpembe. 

 

[zlatanera]

I set myself as needing all the tutorials as I didn't get the hang of training on my River Plate save due to being distracted by other bugs. This meant within the first day Ed Woodward had promoted Marcel Bout to be my assistant manager. I removed him from all responsibilities and signed Gary Neville to be a coach, then checked for a good Director of Football and...

THE IRON TULIP HATH RETURN-ED!

I signed Louis Van Gaal as my DoF, put him in charge of scouting and all contract negotiations , both playing and non-playing staff, apart from his own. I'll probably instruct him on who to sign as well, but I won't put him in charge of signings. Nicky Butt is still in charge of youth intakes though. It's an approach that worked well on my FM18 Real Sociedad save with Loren who on paper was inferior. Helps speed things up somewhat, especially as LVG also takes care of new signing press conferences. 

In terms of signings I'm mostly going to stick with what I have unless interest from other clubs forces my hand - de Ligt already has bids within the first two days, but as I would be quite happy with a fit combo of Lindelöf, Bailly, Rojo and Jones / Smalling (then Tuanzebe next season) I'm leaving it. If anyone moves for Tierney though I'll be going for "Top Target", having Pogba ask him to come, watching his friendlies, the whole nine yards, during negotiations. I worry about Shaw's 8 natural fitness and there isn't another good enough British LB out there so he's really a top priority. 

@Deano565 for a left-sided BPD try Umtiti at Barcelona. On FM18 he always had a £53m release clause as he'd signed the summer before transfer values went crazy, that might be higher now if he signed a new contract irl last season though. 

[davehanson]

At work at the moment so can't post screenshots, but I started a Man Utd save last Thursday when the beta came out. Am struggling a little to be honest, after about 10 games I am currently 6th. I know I have lost to Arsenal 3-0 (1st game of the season) and Liverpool as well as the mighty Cardiff.

 

I started with a control pressing 4-3-3 DM (same formation as Jamie Cortez above), but found it wasn't working so switched to a vertical tika-taka 4-3-3 DM. That has been better but I am struggling to score.

 

I have struggled to offload players. Smalling went to Chelsea but I had Fellani, Young, Rojo, Jones, Darmian and Valencia all listed for well below their values and didn't get one offer, despite me offering them out. I did manage to sign Varane from Real for £63m, a lot of money for a centre back but he has been great so far.

[zlatanera]

@davehanson Fellaini has a new contract start date of the first day of your save, so would be reticent to leave. Also, other than United who by the standards of a club of their size were very frugal in this summer's transfer window, most clubs who might want your players simply don't have the money yet. 

[luka_zg]

Finished my 1st season in the 4th place in the league. Had to win the last game of the season to clich it and it was very good ending for our league performance because for most of the season we were between 6th and 8th position, we managed to have a little win streak in the last 5 games so somehow managed to clinch the 4th spot.

We lost the FA cup final to Liverpool 2-0, a very bad performance by us.

Champions League was great, finished 2nd in the group behind Real Madrid and then eliminated BVB, Napoli and Barcelona to get to the final against ManCity. Went 2-0 up in the first half an hour but then lost our composure and lost 3-2 with late goal from Stones in 85th minute. Quite disappointing but didn't expect to get to the final in the first place so after all it was a good tournament for us.

As far as transfers go 1st season we brought in Victor Nelsson (9mil), Timo Werner(55mil), Mathijs De Ligt(45mil) and Raphael Guerreiro(47mil).

Had a revamp in the summer , players that left: Shaw(free), Jones(free), Smalling(13mil), Romero(18mil), Fellaini(25mil), Young(free), Darmian(free) and Mata(free).

New players in: Sergej Milinkovic Savic(59mil), Raphael Varane(80mil), Josha Vagnoman(11mil), Timo Horn(14mil)

Now we are quite thin in DLP position with no real player there behind Matic. Using Fred there as a 2nd choice, and full back positions with Valencia and Fosu Mesah as right options and Guerreiro and Vagnoman as left backs (Vagnoman is naturally also right back). That's our next transfer goal, 2nd choice left back and DLP (although James Garner from U23 looks promising for this, we will see).

Played 8 games in the league 2nd season, we have 7 wins and 1 draw, but quite easy run of games I must admit (we played only Arsenal as far as top teams go and won). In the CL we have a tough group with Atletico Madrid and Inter adn Young Boys and we lost in Switzerland but managed to win against Atletico, now we have two massive games against Inter, must not lose both games.

As far as individual performances Pogba, Sanchez, Martial, Guerreiro and De Ligt are our top players. Varane broke his leg in the pre season so he is still recovering but I believe he and De Ligt will be our rock on which to build.

[bluehefner]

8 hours ago, davehanson said:

I have struggled to offload players. Smalling went to Chelsea but I had Fellani, Young, Rojo, Jones, Darmian and Valencia all listed for well below their values and didn't get one offer, despite me offering them out. I did manage to sign Varane from Real for £63m, a lot of money for a centre back but he has been great so far.

I managed to sell Darmian for £15million to Newcastle on one save, maybe you were just unlucky, Rojo i can get £10m for, the others i've also found tricky but i did sell Lingard for £32m to Arsenal. Felt like he was missing that little bit of technical quality to not cash in on him. Sold him and used the money towards Fekir so now i have Fekir and Mata for the AMC role with Mata able to fill in at RW when Fekir starts in the centre.

Edited October 24, 2018 by bluehefner

[Sherkey]

Started a United save;; 10 games in, unbeaten as of now;;  

Anyhow, if you don't Ashley Young, it is imperative to get a new LB, because Shaw gets tired/injured often. When fit, he is WC, but Tierney is an excellent option to go for. WC.

Also, regarding Lindelof, a versatile player, who can play DM, CB, RB and be converted to a fantastic B2B. But I've only played him as a RB this FM (due to his low heading, I'm reluctant to have him at CB). As an RB, he is a beast, and is keeping Valencia out of the team. Dalot, I'm using as a backup to Shaw, along with Young. 

Also, Smalling at CB is a beast along with Bailly, provided your formation doesn't have him doing anything fancy or playing out from the back. As a CB (D), he is rather good, despite the lower concentration.

Mata is another good call. Although he is not very familiar with the positions, he can play Mezzala at CM and F9 up-top, along with IF on the right and maybe do a shift on the left. Should extend his contract, can probably sell him for a tidy sum later.

Darmian can be sold, and should be sold. Will help free up some funds. United also need proper width on the right. Pulisic and Coman both are available at the start of the game (Pulisic being slightly cheaper). Definitely options to consider. Plus, if you play with two uptop, another striker is definitely needed - Rashford can be quite limited in his first season, a bit inconsistent.

In terms of transfers, I sold Darmian. I brought in de Ligt, Pulisic, Sandro Tonali and a columbian pacer that my scouts found. As of now, it is going strong. Started off with a Gegenpress tactic as the base (4-2-4), and then modified it to suit what the team is capable of, and it is going good.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Sherkey

[Harryseaess]

Transfer window only just closed, these are my transfers:

Also have Sandro Tonali coming in January. 

[Smaldini]

You can squeeze £20m out of Newcastle for Darmian, I got £17.5m up front with instalments making up the rest. 

[craiigman]

1 hour ago, Harryseaess said:

Transfer window only just closed, these are my transfers:

Also have Sandro Tonali coming in January. 

Who are your full backs/wing backs?

[Harryseaess]

21 minutes ago, craiigman said:

Who are your full backs/wing backs?

RB: Dalot / Vagnoman
LB: Shaw / Vagnoman

Rojo can play LB if needed and Lindelof RB.

[trekman]

Only played a couple of games so far in the league but doing well. Only one defeat so far which was a 9 goal thriller against Liverpool loosing 5-4. Signed Kostas Manolas who has a release clause at the start of the game of £34m and the game says he's an 'Elite defender'. You've got to be quick though. Planning to give Periera, Chong and Gomes games against the 'easier' opponents. I'm thinking about a better striker because I think Lakaku needs too many chances which is a bit accurate considering how he's playing irl. I'm looking for a couple of good wingers (not wonderkids) because I'm planning to play 'The Fergie way' and want too guys with good crossing so recommendations welcome.

[Jamie Cortez]

I will post screens etc tomorrow when I have more time, but 1st season over and we won the premier league at a canter was top for 90% of the season. 

Also won the FA Cup for the double, got knocked out the champs league at the quarters by eventual winners Inter. 

We took a 2-0 into the second leg, got two red cards and lost 3-0 making 2-3 on agg... Obviously the double red card was FMs way of going nuh uh not this season 

 

[Miravlix]

in FM19 someone seem to have made a mistake on Lukaku's attributes, so I wouldn't want to sell him, unless it get fixed.

 

I think he might have win me the league 26(1) games 31 goals. Sitting at 76 points and 10 games left in the season.

 

The defenders is horrible,, but if you pick the Tiki-Taki pre-made setup it's high pressing result in most teams being unable to get past the engagement players to be a danger to your defensive line and De Gae is close to a perfect goal keeper and will save the day. The tactics has resulted in even top six teams fail to get a single shot.

 

Lukaku as some kind of striker, not sure it matters as long as the role make him stand in the six yard box. In hindsight, since the defense is in pressing, I should have used PF/A

AML Martial, AMC Pereira/DM Matic and AMR Mata

MCR/MCL Pogba and Herera

DL Luke Shaw, DR/DL Bailly-Lindelof DR  Dalot. (Valencia season or maybe carrier just ended with a broken ankle)

 

Martial does these run's from deep all the way through the opposition team and instead of passing to Lukaku he tries to score and fails. Though it's magical the few times it works  (10 goals and 11 assists.)

I don't know what Mata does, but with 9 goals and 10 assist he must be doing something useful.

Alexia spend the season being injured, but he did manage 7 assists even if he most likely used crutches to move around the field. He has major problems with motivation, so even when fit, I couldn't depend on him on the field, so I didn't even try. If I could keep him injury free and used as a W, I might have gotten a lot more goals out of Lukaku. (But that might be because crossing is exploit level effective in the beta)

Herera makes a ton of mistakes, but for some reason it's never fatal ones, but I think he might be dangerous to the longterm health of the club.  Bit fumy he has 76 errors and we have 76 points so far in the season.

Shaw and Bailly (Valencia too I think) is mentally broken and if put under any kind of pressure like a Derby game they all leave their brain in the locker room and all start competing for making penelities or other bad choices., but for some reason my offense decide to score enough goals to draw the game or if I'm lucky scores goals to break the oppositions will and remove the pressure, so the defense can play well.

Dalot is simply too young and wont develop enough in the first season, but I have hopes he has a future and I just need him or Luke the Fluke to pass the ball to the engagement line, but by using Dalot he will develop faster hopefully and be a real factor next season.

For me Young's main claim to fame, seems to be that he is backup/rotation for DL/DR. 

Rojo, Jones, Darmian, Fellaini decided they where too posh to be rotation/backup players and got sold in January..

I thought Jesse Lingard was an AMC Shadow Striker, so when I was offered 43.5M for him just as the first window closed, I sold him. Due to the ME's crossing problem, you might be able to double Lukaku's goal scoring by using him as a winger in AMR. Or maybe not, he has a 6.64 rating as Chelsea, he is used as a sub, but with 1 assist and 0 goals, not much of a super sub.

 

I didn't buy any players in the first window, but my HOYD bought Viktor Nelsson, but they only sold him with a loan back clause.

 

The team desperately need high quality defenders, but I failed to land any in the January window, I got Paulo Dybala and Suso instead in the hopes that I can score more goals than my defense concedes, with 11 and 13 determination that might have been bad choices, as they might not be comeback king material.

[bluehefner]

12 hours ago, Smaldini said:

You can squeeze £20m out of Newcastle for Darmian, I got £17.5m up front with instalments making up the rest. 

Thanks i'll try that.

[CaptainSa]

Guess the score.

 

[Jamie Cortez]

The question is do you let an unruly, unhappy Pogba go to Barcelona for £110M, when you have Milinkovic-savic as a replacement.

[axehan1]

What's everyones favoured formation/style of play? I'm struggling to get anything to work.

[Sparky_07]

I'm using the 4-14-1 Wide

 

[Jamie Cortez]

2 minutes ago, axehan1 said:

What's everyones favoured formation/style of play? I'm struggling to get anything to work.

4-1-4-1 DM Wide Vertical Tiki-Taka - Won me the double in the first season 

[abdi1721]

On 24/10/2018 at 04:35, luka_ said:

Finished my 1st season in the 4th place in the league. Had to win the last game of the season to clich it and it was very good ending for our league performance because for most of the season we were between 6th and 8th position, we managed to have a little win streak in the last 5 games so somehow managed to clinch the 4th spot.

We lost the FA cup final to Liverpool 2-0, a very bad performance by us.

Champions League was great, finished 2nd in the group behind Real Madrid and then eliminated BVB, Napoli and Barcelona to get to the final against ManCity. Went 2-0 up in the first half an hour but then lost our composure and lost 3-2 with late goal from Stones in 85th minute. Quite disappointing but didn't expect to get to the final in the first place so after all it was a good tournament for us.

As far as transfers go 1st season we brought in Victor Nelsson (9mil), Timo Werner(55mil), Mathijs De Ligt(45mil) and Raphael Guerreiro(47mil).

Had a revamp in the summer , players that left: Shaw(free), Jones(free), Smalling(13mil), Romero(18mil), Fellaini(25mil), Young(free), Darmian(free) and Mata(free).

New players in: Sergej Milinkovic Savic(59mil), Raphael Varane(80mil), Josha Vagnoman(11mil), Timo Horn(14mil)

Now we are quite thin in DLP position with no real player there behind Matic. Using Fred there as a 2nd choice, and full back positions with Valencia and Fosu Mesah as right options and Guerreiro and Vagnoman as left backs (Vagnoman is naturally also right back). That's our next transfer goal, 2nd choice left back and DLP (although James Garner from U23 looks promising for this, we will see).

Played 8 games in the league 2nd season, we have 7 wins and 1 draw, but quite easy run of games I must admit (we played only Arsenal as far as top teams go and won). In the CL we have a tough group with Atletico Madrid and Inter adn Young Boys and we lost in Switzerland but managed to win against Atletico, now we have two massive games against Inter, must not lose both games.

As far as individual performances Pogba, Sanchez, Martial, Guerreiro and De Ligt are our top players. Varane broke his leg in the pre season so he is still recovering but I believe he and De Ligt will be our rock on which to build.

Can you show what your XI looks like?

[abdi1721]

13 hours ago, Miravlix said:

-Taki pre-made setup it's high pressing

No changes at all? Can't get anything to work atm

[axehan1]

3 minutes ago, abdi1721 said:

No changes at all? Can't get anything to work atm

I know how you feel,I'm clinginging on to 4th place, no chance of winning the league and am in a rubbish run of 2 wins in 12 culminating in a 1-2 defeat to Southampton who scored in the 92nd and 95th minute, the winning goal coming down my right side while Dalot was on the sideline getting bloody treatment.What a joke.

[Harryseaess]

What CBs have people signed?

[luka_zg]

17 hours ago, abdi1721 said:

Can you show what your XI looks like?

GK__ De Gea / Horn

DR__ Valencia / Fosu Mensah

DC__ De Ligt / Lindelof

DC__ Varane / Tuanzebe

DL__ Guerreiro / Vagnoman

DM__Matić / Fred

MC__ Pogba / Perreira

MC__ Milinković Savić / Herrera

AMR__ Sanchez / Lingard

AML__ Martial / Rashford

ST ___Lukaku / Werner

Edited October 26, 2018 by luka_zg

[Footygamer89YT]

Is anyone starting on the BETA and going to keep the save going after full release or ?

[Sparky_07]

I'm going to wait for full release till I start my full game with United.

[zlatanera]

@Footygamer89YT not this time but when I last had the beta (FM16 I believe) I did. If the flaws in the game are bearable for you, go for it. You may as well get a head start. There's missing data in Argentina and probably a couple of others, but big leagues like premiership are fine. 

[Sam Johnson]

How on earth do you sell players on this game? I have offered Phil Jones out for £12m, same with Darmian and Mata...and nobody makes an offer. "No team sees it as a viable option" ...

 

[dothestrand]

16 minutes ago, Sam Johnson said:

How on earth do you sell players on this game? I have offered Phil Jones out for £12m, same with Darmian and Mata...and nobody makes an offer. "No team sees it as a viable option" ...

 

What wages are they on? It's the same issue they have in real life. Who'd pay those wages without a hefty contribution? Can you offer them out with you paying 20-25%?

[OlukitzFudgey]

I sold Lingard for £50 million upfront. 

[axehan1]

1 hour ago, OlukitzFudgey said:

I sold Lingard for £50 million upfront. 

How? the best I could get was £27m from Arsenal.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Ask for exactly £50 million from Arsenal. I've done it a few times. They will accept exactly £50 million at the beginning of the save. It is possible that other people have different experiences though. Anything more will be rejected or become non negotiable for much less. 

Edited October 26, 2018 by OlukitzFudgey
Because

[Verby]

I got 48m from Arsenal just now on my save. 

 

 

[bluehefner]

I just offered him out for 50m, Arsenal came in with a 22m offer and instalments, i then countered 45m and they accepted, better than the 33m i was getting!

[OlukitzFudgey]

Step by step guide to sell Lingard for £50 million. Offer to club for unspecified amount. Arsenal will bid something stupid. Counter the offer with exactly £50 million up front. Arsenal will accept. That's what I did. 

[bluehefner]

10 minutes ago, OlukitzFudgey said:

Step by step guide to sell Lingard for £50 million. Offer to club for unspecified amount. Arsenal will bid something stupid. Counter the offer with exactly £50 million up front. Arsenal will accept. That's what I did. 

Yup just tried it again, instead went back and asked for 50mill and they accepted, absolute steal.

I do like Lingard but his technical attributes aren't enough for me, been selling him and signing Fekir for the AMC postition which means Mata becomes second choice for that position meaning he can help out more on the right along with (i think) Chiesa from Florentina, who's decent enough to start with but will end up being a world beater hopefully.

Not officially started my save yet, waiting until full release but these are the signings i've made so far in an effort to test and work out who i want to buy.

Edited October 26, 2018 by bluehefner

[OlukitzFudgey]

Happy to help  

If anyone finds anyone else that they are able to sell for a decent sum post them up.

This United team is one of the worst teams I have ever seen and I am a fan. I rate Jose Mourinho as one of the best managers in the world who is doing wonders with what he has been given. If anyone actually pays attention to what he says during press conferences and in the past they would know that Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly were not his signings. They were the club signings. He said after Lindelof was purchased that he has never seen him play and gave the board the green light after the scouting department recommended him. He also had a recent dig at the scouting department at Manchester United and he is right. The club have been making awful signing for so long. Javier Ribalta also wanted to sign Leon Goretzka on a free transfer and he left after one year. Why didn't we sign Aymeric Laporte one of the best ball playing defenders in the world who was available for £56 million. 

Rant over. 

[axehan1]

Can anyone get a one striker formation to work?Has it been noted as a bug or something? One on ones from my striker just don't seem to end in goals.I play Lukaku(enough said I suppose) but he misses everything,free headers go over the bar,tap ins get last ditch blocks. I might as well play strikerless.

[Miravlix]

If your having trouble, or maybe it's more a case of us doing to well, the problem is that the game seem to buffs good runs, get a few struggling wins and the players get overpowered "on a run" powers.

 

I believe the hidden motivation the players have is more important than tactics and anything else, with the right motivation the players can overcome a tactics disadvantage or play so badly that a tactics advantage is not enough to win the game.

 

You can have under, normal and over motivated players, you have to press conference/team talk/shout at them to put then in the middle, if they are too motivated they might get direct red cards and while playing with fire it still result in those games of tons of chances without score, because the are trying to hard.

 

The second thing is pressure, players like Luke Shaw can't handle pressure, so that is another thing you have to handle if you want them to be at their best on the pitch. Striking the right balance between making the players motivated enough and not over pressured is a hell of a mini game, but that is what allows those lower team super streaks and the way I get a record 101 points in the first season, played until the January window with the starting players, sold Jesse in the first window and bought Dybala and Suso in the January window.

 

That is why Team DNA is so powerful, when you get a uniform squad, the handling of pressure/motivation is so much easier as everyone react the same.

[mhaffy]

On 23/10/2018 at 18:23, Jamie Cortez said:

So again this year Transfer funds can be almost endless allowing you to shape your squad for numerous seasons to come.

 

For me out of personal choice Lindelof of Lukaku are both expendable and my highest profile players to sell. Lukaku couldn't attract sufficient interest so is still with me but only playing rotationally  (ie when the beta excessive injuries stack up)

From the 2nd season i intend to add Gomes and Chong into the senior team to push their progression as both are highly rated PA wise.

 

Just wondered how you were getting on with this tactic; particularly your lone striker. I have been trying very similar tactics with Chelsea in advance of my main save and lucky if lone striker gets 10 goals a season ....ave rating <7! Tried various 2 striker combinations all to no avail......Seems very hard to get a prolific striker with reasonable average ratings in this beta....

[oneronaldo]

Some interesting things have happened in my save, particularly regarding the squad.

GK - DDG obviously still first choice, handsomely paid with a long contract. Romero was sold to Lyon after season 1, Dean Henderson has been promoted to be backup keeper.

RB - Adam Smith, an overppay of £25m from Bournemouth is the current starter. George Baldock brought in as backup before start of season 1, £7m or so from Sheffield United. Darmian was sold to Newcastle for £15m after I found him in the U23s. Valencia moved to Juventus after they offered £23m before season 2, just as well as I was debating whether to extend his deal. Dalot has been on loan at Fulham since his injury return, developing well so far.

CB - de Ligt, £30m from Ajax was the very first transfer I made. Bailly and Jones have surprisingly been my most reliable pairing. Smalling was sold to Chelsea for £25m after they kept offering at the beginning. Rojo did not feature for me at all, sold to Brighton for £25m before season 2 (spent last half of season 1 on loan in Spain

LB - Luke Shaw is first choice, Paul Dummett was brought in at a pricey £15m as backup. Martin Olsson also had brief fling at Old Trafford, being a panic buy at the end of the transfer window after Shaw got injured. Olsson has since left for Mexico.

DM - Lindelof is awful in the air, which is a big no-no for me at center back. However he does have brilliant technical skills, so he is the new DM/Regista. Matic was sent on loan to Chelsea with obligation to buy for £46m after season 1 ended. Did not want to renew his contract. Fred also covers here sometimes

CM - Pogba and Herrera are a strong pairing and I have no concerns here. Sergey Milinkovic-Savic was the dream midfield partner I had planned for Pogba but PSG (cheeky ****ers) stole in at the last minute and somehow got him despite me offering better contract terms. Fred & Antonin Barak (£10m from Udinese, basically budget a Sergey, look him up) are the backups. Fellaiini left for Fiorentina after season 1, wanted a new challenge and they offered £25m.

AMR - Alexis Sanchez was first choice for most of season 1, until an Achilles injury gave the spot to Lingard. Lingard has been the starter since then. Lozano is the £15m backup brought in from PSV. Mata was backup to Sanchez, but a serious hip injury ruined his attributes. Tried to sell him in the summer, no takers, sent on loan to Leicester, another hip injury means the poor Spaniard is finished at the top level.

AML - Martial is a gem, initially I alternated between him and Rashford until Lukaku & Sanchez got injured.

ST - As of now, Lukaku is the starter with Sanchez as backup. Rashford was my starter for season 1 for most of the 2nd half as Lukaku's injury affected his form. Then the jewel of the youth, Mason Greenwood, is the next one up.

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by oneronaldo

[axehan1]

Can anyone get Martial and Sanchez to finish a game without getting injured?Christ it's getting ridiculous, I don't dare start them in the same game together because they both get injured.It's not Football Manager it's more like hospital Manager.

Love the look of the game and all the changes but the fact that strikers can't score,players get injured constantly,hardly any through balls during a game but 50+ crosses make this a little unplayable.Hopefully the patch with the release make it the great game it can be.

[oneronaldo]

1 hour ago, axehan1 said:

Can anyone get Martial and Sanchez to finish a game without getting injured?Christ it's getting ridiculous, I don't dare start them in the same game together because they both get injured.It's not Football Manager it's more like hospital Manager.

Love the look of the game and all the changes but the fact that strikers can't score,players get injured constantly,hardly any through balls during a game but 50+ crosses make this a little unplayable.Hopefully the patch with the release make it the great game it can be.

The injuries are ludicrous so far in Beta. I once ended a game with Sanchez, Mata & Lukaku all picking up injuries. Lukaku was only a tight hamstring, but Sanchez and Mata got serious multi-month injuries.

Hospital Simulator 2019 truly

[Jp724]

Hey ! 

Just getting through the last few friendlies before the second season starts, Completed the proper treble in my first season and fairly comfortably too weirdly enough. Loved that I got to beat Liverpool in both the FA and Champions League finals ! I try to be as realistic as possible in regards to signings at least for the initial few seasons, I allowed transfers in the first window which I don't usually do but I wanted to try and sort our problems out early. 

2018 Summer Transfer window

Outs: 

Darmian £9.25M(£10.25M)- Thought he looked really good when we first signed him, but unfortunately it didn't last. Stats wise everything is pretty spot on as well as being able to play on both the left and right but his Crossing and Dribbling is very poor and this was vital in how my tactics worked. 

Pereira and McTominay went out on loan for the season as did one or two youngsters, Both of who'm I was looking to sell although with McTominay's stats and being homegrown I do wonder how good he would be, if he was retrained at CB if anyone has tried it or had the same thought? 

Incoming:

Milenkovic £15M (£21.5M)- Seems a popular choice, and for that price it's a bargain. A slightly more technical Vidic at a stretch (What we would pay to have him back!) I always like having a CB that can dominate in the air, and being 6'5" and 18 jumping reach at 20 years old he was already ready made for the position. 

Hirving Lozano-£24M Again not breaking the bank but I feel like he was one of the best options to play as my right winger even if he is listed as preferring to play as an Inside Forward on the left although I do think the cut's inside from both flanks PPM probably effects his performances. 

 

2019 Winter transfer window

We were top at Christmas and looking comfortable but there was no need for too much change, But I wanted to make a few more changes to the squad and get rid of players who just don't cut it for me in real life and weren't used in game.

Out:

Rojo on loan to Everton- He starts the game injured I think, and he wasn't in my plans and so didn't play a single minute for us. I tried to sell him but nobody was really interested so a loan seemed the best option. 

Young £2.5M- Ashley is a strange one for me, for everything he offers there's something he takes away which is confusing. I think if you asked him when he first signed if he still thought he'd be at United and playing into 2018/2019 he'd have probably said no. Although he's put in some consistent performances in a position that he's definitely not a natural in, I do wonder how he is still at the club especially for the wage he is on. I think it's an underlying problem with United it's not just who we haven't got in but it's who we haven't got out as well to the point where we're stuck with Players that should have left a fair few seasons ago unfortunately. 

Fellaini £28.5M- I was fairly comfortable keeping my midfield, Fellaini wasn't a starter but he filled in when I needed him too and I found how he would dominate in the air in the midfield would win a number of second balls which started a few counter attacks which was valuable. But I couldn't say no to that amount of money and I have Herrera and Fred to step in instead. 

In:

Kieran Tierney £36M(£45.5M)- Getting rid of Rojo and Young left only Shaw that was capable of playing on the left, I had my eye on a few different left backs including Alex Telles, Jose Gaya and Grimaldo. A few of them wanted just far too much money than I wanted to pay, I actually think I over spent on Tierney too? but other clubs were lurking and making offers so I had little room for maneuver. Really happy to have got him though, he shouldn't cause me any problems with the Brexit Scenario and is so young I'd hope to get 10+ years from him anyway and I see him as a more offensive and aggressive option compared to Shaw but that left hand side should be sorted for a very long time hopefully! 

The season soon finished, I was expecting to struggle a lot more than I did. I liked bringing in Gomes, Chong and Greenwood from the youth sides too. Greenwood impressed scoring 3 premier league goals as well as scoring in the home leg of the 3-0 derby Victory against City in the quarter finals of the Champions league. 

I was fairly happy with the squad and knew I wouldn't need to make drastic changes, I prefer the odd few signings rather than a complete overhaul. 

2019 summer transfer window

out:

Sergio Romero £10.5M(£13M)- I was a little disappointed by Romero's stats as I actually think he's a V.good keeper, Although he hardly played and was worth a fair amount of money which I didn't see much point in keeping sat on the bench. I had hoped for a bit more money from the sale, and was disappointed to have to sell him to Spurs, but I don't expect much of a challenge off them so I didn't really mind. Also with Dean Henderson coming back from loan, I thought he could do a job when I needed him and he's also English which would help me with the number of foreign players rule for Brexit. 

Demitri Mitchell £1.4M (£1.7M)- Played a lot of games on loan at Hearts in the first season, and although it's always sad when an academy player doesn't make the grade he simply wasn't up too it. Again I didn't get much money for him but he was only really attracting interest from Scottish Clubs and there's only so much they can cough up.

Phil Jones- Unfortunately for me Phil is one of them players we should have sold a few seasons ago, he had promise but it was never really too consistent although his injuries haven't helped. I had always planned to sell him, and stupidly left it too late. He soon had 6 months left on his contract which I hadn't kept an eye on and so other clubs were able to approach him. Weirdly he picked to sign for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. He never played for me in the whole season, which made me wonder why didn't I transfer list him sooner so I could have got some sort of money for him? His jumping reach being so low was dangerous for me from the start. 

Fosu-Mensah- Loaned out to Bournemouth, A versitile cover player but I don't think he will ever make it to a standard where he's knocking on the door to start every week. I tried to sell him on but there was no real suitors. With only a year left on his contract though I will be trying to sell him on for some money rather than him leaving for nothing ala Jones. 

Marcos Rojo £12M- I wished I got more money for him too, I think that is a reoccurring thought actually, is everyone finding it difficult to get decent money  once you've transfer listed them? Again nothing much wrong with him stats wise, A lower jumping reach than I'd like and a very poor Composure stat. I just have better options who're also younger, Lindeloff, Milenkovic,Bailey and Tuanzebe's return from loan have signaled the end of the old.

Andreas Pereira £15.5M-I was fairly happy with the sale price here, he had a number of offers to go and play away on loan last year. I usually accept all offers for loans regardless of the money and leave it up to the player to decide what they want. He picked EA Guingamp which was an odd choice for me, he played a lot of games but didn't perform too well. Not playing an AMC and only having a 2 man midfield means I need them to be up to a job going both forward and backwards a lot of the time, something which I don't think he has. I will miss his ability from set peices though as his Corners and Free kicks are a lot better than anybody else that are in the squad. 

Chris Smalling £25M- This was a mixed one for me, I don't think he's the real deal by any stretch of the imagination but I do believe he get's what it means to play for Manchester United unlike a few players in the squad. I think in the 1v1 situations against pace and trickery he is shown up more often than not which is a shame as he's probably the most commanding player we have in the air at the back in real life. There have been a lot of questions as too why Jones and Smalling were still starting together for us last season, but for me the questions were more why is Jones still starting rather than Smalling who has also scored some important goals. I do think we can obviously improve on him but I don't think he's a bad player to have in the squad. And in a system where the 2 cb's had some form of protection ahead of them I think he would be consistent. He did play well for me but eventually the writing was on the wall what with the other options at our disposal, but I think £25M is a good price ! which is probably the first time I've got to say that. 

In's:

I didn't see many area's where I needed to sign someone new to be honest, the team is far from being a team of world beaters but I'm winning and I hate having to spend £70M+ on one individual even as United manager it would have to be for someone very special. I also want to give the 3 youngsters named above a shot, as well as Rashford and Lingard. I think it's just the dream to have as many former academy players as possible in the first team. I'd really like to get Rashford especially to score 200 goals+ depending on the length of the save, I'm not sure if anyone's had the time to put that many seasons into the game yet to make that happen? 

Almamy Toure 19.5M (£23M)- One area I was looking to strengthen was right back, Toure is very well rounded and there should be a good battle for the starting spot between him and Dalot. This should also spell the end to Valencia who I'm trying to sell. Yes Valencia has been a good servant to us, he's worked hard to become a right back or sorts but again he's a player that should have left a few seasons ago. He works as hard as anyone and he's experienced but for a converted winger going forward he's woeful. Most of his runs are stop start, there's always too many touches and his crossing is more just hitting it with everything he's got and hoping as well as being a very very strange choice of captain. 

Nicolo Barella £46M (£49M)- My most expensive signing yet, very highly recommended by scouts and honestly a player I'd never heard of. Already a World-Class Midfielder he will add competition for Pogba's position although he's already sulking that I rejected an offer from Barcelona for him. One of the small 'Problems' I have with the way I'm set up is nobody really averaged superbly over the season. Lukaku was my and the league top scorer and averaged 7.46 which I don't see as huge. Martial averaged less than 7 in the league as an example which is very disappointing. Although everybody contributes the goals and assists are shared out so I presume that's probably why? or maybe the game has changed in the sense that someone averaging 7.5+ fairly easily is no longer the way? With this in mind I'm worried that spending big money on players like Barella will never seem worth it what with the ratings they get? but time will tell and I have a few changes that worked towards the end of the season. 

I honestly didn't start meaning to write so much ! I hope my mumblings on the team in the real world aren't confused with Football Manager, always interesting to hear what other people think though !?

[kpsia518]

Team : ManUtd
Player : All same + Lucas Paqueta
time：finish 1st season,summer begin

Budget：80+M

target：

1）Eric Dier = transfer list by request，price fall from 97M to 47M. British ,can play CD、DM、CM,all green.Good defensive stat.

2）Sergej Milinković-Savić = can be sign with price 58M,but have to act quick before other big club join in.
3）dayot upamecano = can sign with price 52~57M，BPD great PA.He got the PPM "brings ball out of defence" & "Plays way out of trouble".

Only 80+M to spend,so i can't buy them all.

so which one should i pick ?

& some ppl said i should sigh a L.Back.
& CD & LB should be 1st priority.

so what you think ?

 

 

[dothestrand]

4 hours ago, kpsia518 said:

Team : ManUtd
Player : All same + Lucas Paqueta
time：finish 1st season,summer begin

Budget：80+M

target：

1）Eric Dier = transfer list by request，price fall from 97M to 47M. British ,can play CD、DM、CM,all green.Good defensive stat.

2）Sergej Milinković-Savić = can be sign with price 58M,but have to act quick before other big club join in.
3）dayot upamecano = can sign with price 52~57M，BPD great PA.He got the PPM "brings ball out of defence" & "Plays way out of trouble".

Only 80+M to spend,so i can't buy them all.

so which one should i pick ?

& some ppl said i should sigh a L.Back.
& CD & LB should be 1st priority.

so what you think ?

 

 

Surely you have a lot of expendable players to bump your transfer budget up if you sell them? Or if you let players go out of contract, you can transfer the excess wages to your transfer budget?