[FM19] One night in Serravalle

[_Ben_]

Marquee signing?

In Caicara, I may have found my new marquee signing and another cog in the machine that I am trying to create. As with any of the marquee signings that I am planning - I need to take into account the below factors:

• Personality (will he positive improve the team?)

Model Professional
Professionalism 20, Temperament 10-20

Evasive
Professionalism 15-20, Pressure 15-20

Reserved
Controversy 1-5, Professionalism 15-20

I see all of these as incredibly positive things. He is clearly very professional but also good under pressure and unlikely to cause any kind of controversy when talking to the media/reacting to team talks. This set of personality/media handling is pretty much a perfect combination with maybe on M.Citizen/Evasive/Reserved 'above' it for me.

• Hidden attributes (anything that would make him unsuitable?)

A look at his scout report will give some answers here:

Consistent, versatile, enjoys big matches and adaptable. Add that to his personality and media handing and I think that there is a really good combination here and Caicara is certainly the type of player that I want playing for my team.

• Age (is he old enough to not take my time away from developing my own players?)

This is a strange one here, and one I want to take some time to think about. He's 28, and that's fine. I want him to play in a role that does require physicality and does require a lot of running - meaning that he's maybe only going to last five or six years and that is fine. I can tie the age in to his playing history, looking at how he became the player he is now and trying to gather any clues about what the future may hold for him. Below is his playing history, which makes for many questions:

Firstly, and tied into age - he suffered damaged cruciate ligaments at the end of the 2027 season which a) stalled the development, seeing him only play twice in the 2028 season and then, in early 2029, he tore his calf muscle - ruling him out for much of that season, too. This probably triggered a loan spell to Europe, which wasn't hugely beneficial. Looking at the 2030/31 season for Gil Vicente, they finished 13th in Liga Sagres, going through three managers - with only one of them preferring a formation that would include Caicara in his favoured DM role. Going back to Brazil, he's played at the highest South American standard, winning the Liberdatores in 2033 and Recopa Sudamerica the year after. I don't have the Brazilian leagues loaded so Santos don't have a 'real' manager but I can see that, in whichever role and position he has played, he has done reasonably well. I am aware that, sometimes, the DM role struggles to get high ratings - even in a season with two goals and ten assists.

This prompted a move to Everton, who are a mid-table club. He signed in the June of 2035 and, as such, didn't make any appearances in the 2035/36 season. He played a full season and a half under managed Dani Alves - who plays a narrow 4-4-2 diamond - finishing 9th and now on course for another mid-table finish, but has been transfer listed in order to make space in the player registration. To say that I am not concerned about his poor average rating this season would be a lie but I feel that there are some things coming through in the analyst report that discount this:

It's hard to take these particularly 'seriously' - Dani Alves likes a different formation, a direct style of attacking football and a style of pressing far less intense than mine. However - it is clear to see that he is reasonably accurate, wins nearly three quarters of all his tackles - over six a game, and doesn't commit too many fouls - a worry when the player is that aggressive. 

• Sell-on value (am I likely to be inundated with highly profitable bids for him taking away time from making profit on my own players?)

At 33, he'll be struggling to make the runs and complete the physical game he does now and, as such, I doubt I'll be able to sell him on for more than the £8.25m he's listed for.

• Potential to be a team leader (is he good enough to play enough minutes to reach that level?)

Another interesting one - how good is he? This is what has come back from my scouts:

He'll be rated higher than Fabre, who is moving on (that is another story) and Nardella. He is clearly a 'good' player - one that I would say is much stronger mentally than physically. He's good at marking, passing, has a good first touch and technique but is a monster from a long shot and from the penalty spot. A big part of the movement that my two DMs make is popping up at the edge of the box and having Caicara here will be absolutely lethal. Combining the good technical attributes with great work rate, decisions, teamwork and leadership means that he'll be a really important figure in my team. I think he's one of those players that wouldn't have a hugely high CA and has been overlooked by AI teams because of that, but might just go on to be a star in my system. What's more - he can even fit in at centre back too when needed and is two-footed, which has been a hugely important thing in the previous two marquee signings I have made.

• Determination (will he improve it for the team?)

Yep!

• Replacement (who is he replacing within the current squad hierarchy?)

Julien Fabre has grown out of the rotational option that I wanted and is moving on to pastures new in the summer. I also fear that Vadivelou will be leaving - he's attracting interest from some large clubs and his demands are so high that I just cannot match them. That would leave Caicara and Nardella with returning loanee Cevoli, who has done well at Serie B side Taranto. Only going with three DMs is a risk I took this season but has worked, with all of my DMs able to play in that role, too.

• Cost (he is a marquee signing but will he put the financial future of the club at doubt?)

Just £8m up front and relatively low wages will be no problem for the club.

----

Thoughts?

 

[_Ben_]

Also...

this happened...

[Lucas]

Oh my.

[_Ben_]

12 minutes ago, Lucas said:

Oh my.

I was so wrapped up in working through the signing, I completely missed posting about the build up etc!

[_Ben_]

Money

This confirms the signing now. Any other transfer business aside - this money pays for all but about £0.5m of the transfer.

[_Ben_]

End of Season 2037/38

We've dropped a place but I feel that this season has been a success as we continue to build ourselves into a team that are able to challenge in the higher echelons of the league. With Juventus having the worst season in their existence, I felt that we may see a league that concertinas a little, but that was not the case with the two Milan clubs and an impressive Lazio (who lost the Europa League final 1-0) running away at the top. We yo-yo'ed between fourth and seventh and could have quite easily finished even down in eighth place, had some late results not gone our way.

My limited recruitment policy has paid off with two of the top three players ranked by minutes are my marquee signings, with goalkeeper Stefaneli playing every minute. We lacked an out and out goalscorere this year - and I think this is down to some tactical naivety - teams are now sitting back more and we have lost that 'scare factor' of being the underdog quite so much. Never the less, three players in double figures is a share of the goals that we've never had before. Vigernon, falling back behind Samaniego for the past two years - has agreed a move elsewhere for next season.

Looking forward to a summer of analysis!

 

[_Ben_]

Player Sale

This is a huge call but one that I think will make us better in the long run. David had two years left on his £40k p/w a deal but wanted upwards of £200k to renew. Accepting 'just' £150k p/w at Leicester shows that his head had been turned and moving on was probably the best thing for him to do.

Last season, David scored ten times and assisted six in 36 games with eight MoTM awards at a league rating of 7.49 - he was literally the best midfielder in the league on paper. This year, with just one goal and two assists later, at an average of 6.96, he has underwhelmed somewhat. What is more - with the AM slot locked down by Davide Zafferani, the Frenchman is used as a deeper player and one of the two pivoting DMs. With teams now looking to hit us on the counter, he's a little light defensively and this has been picked on a couple of times by the opponent.

The new DM trio of Caicara, Nardella and Cevoli has a lot to live up to but I think we will be stronger moving forward.

[_Ben_]

Promise?

It might be a pre-season friendly against a Serie D side but Caicara has had four shots, each from 20+ yards, and has scored four times. This could be beautiful...

[_Ben_]

First team and tactical development

As I head into the new season - I thought I'd recap a little on our playing style and a few ways that I approach matches. Below is my first team squad followed by the 'base' formation that I use. I'm a big believer in flexibility tactically, and, although I am in no way a tactical expert, have enjoyed having a play around with moving certain things - the main one being the position of the playmaker - AM, CM, DM or even AML/AMR when we have the ability to win an individual battle or exploit a pocket of space.

One of the things I am most pleased with (and decided to show over personality, value etc) is the experience that I have within this squad. The backline has an average age of over 27 and has an average of over 350 career games to date - something that can so easily be forgotten about when playing a youth driven save. There is youthful exuberance further forward but the key players remain in their primes. For the first time - I'm able to offer some sort of rotational options - Cervellini, Angellini and Canti are good options off the bench and Marra, even with a poor scoring record, does offer an option, albeit a very similar one to Zavoli, from the bench. Three of the four youngsters that make up the rest of my first team have all enjoyed a good season away on loan and that, for me, is a big bonus rather than having them just come from the youth setup. Corbelli is currently filling a hole and may find that he is loaned out.

The 4-2-3-1 shape that we employ is pretty standard, by nature, but I feel that I've managed to change and influence a few things with role selection and player development. My key playing ethos has been ball retention and ability to play out from the back where possible but then moving quickly and effectively forward through the lines when the opportunity allows. BPD's and a total of seven players (inc goalkeeper) in the defensive third mean I don't need to use 'play out of defence' as shorter passing and a number of options means we generally keep the ball well. I have added 'lower tempo' here as a way of us controlling the play from deep but this is both complimented and negated by very direct roles further forward - players who only know how to go fast. I also love that all of my wingers are able to play on both sides and, as such, swap wings throughout the game.

The BWM(s) role is new this season and is made entirely for the entry of Caicara. In the past, I have used this role as a poor mans Roaming Playmaker, utilising the 'Get further forward' player instruction. Pairing the BWM with a DM(s) should mean that we have a pivot - two sensible supporting players who will also add some steel in front of the defence now we have pushed the mentality up a notch and may be more susceptible to the counter attack.

The AP(s) has completely free reign to move into channels but does hold the ball up. I like that as I leave him up for defensive corners and I also think he is pivotal in the sense that there are no attacking options 'behind' him so will bring others into play well.

Up top, I've been unsure on roles - currently the PF(a) is my go-to but I have used the CF(a) as well. Zavoli is really good in the box but I do want a little more involvement from him in my build up play - especially as we're going to be facing more and more defensive teams as we continue to grow ourselves.

I've also developed some 're-actions' to in-game events that I'm working on, too:

• Score a goal: Be more disciplined. The last thing I want to do after scoring is concede so I use this in conjunction with 'praise' or 'demand more' shout as it tends to focus the players. We very rarely concede in the five or ten minutes after we score when this is added.
• Chasing the game: Increase tempo. We have pace and physicality so we tend to try and move the ball a little faster. I tend to use this in conjunction with 'get creative' to try and force some openings.
• Holding a lead: The goalkeeper no longer takes short kicks, slowing the tempo down as he does that and we look to regroup out of possession. At the end of the game, time wasting will be moved up, also.
• Narrow formations: If we are overwhelming favourites, I'll change the wing backs to CWB(s) and focus play down the flanks. This draws the AP(s) out wide and, with some clever play from the IF(s), can create some huge gaps in the defence.

----

I will focus more on Caicara as the season goes on and also look at some specific plans against certain teams and occasions.

[_Ben_]

August/September 2038

Despite the large amount of green dots here, I am really not happy with our start. It has taken us until the Kyiv game to put together a solid performance, playing to our strengths and putting the other team to the sword. The wins were a non-negotiable, these teams are not the strongest in the league and beating them is imperative if we want to qualify for Europe again, let alone challenge for the league. 

Our Europa League group sees us go up against Club Brugge in the other fixture. I expect that we will qualify but a late deflected strike against Dortmund set us off to the worst start. Second place from here is fine.

 

[WillHoward42]

Juventus in 14th.... how long have they been this poor for?

[_Ben_]

October/November 2038

If the first two months were poor and unimaginative, these two were the complete opposite, barring a small blip at the end. 

The game against Milan is one that I can look back on with immense tactical pride - particularly as someone who has never been particularly comfortable with that part of the game. I had a long look at their scouting and analyst reports and came to some conclusions - a) their right footed left back, who plays as an IWB is their best player and important in possession b) they have focused at least 50% of their play down their right hand side in the last three games and their right wing back is particularly attacking c) their attack, whilst slow is still quality. I made a few little personnel changes - playing backup full back and D/AM(L) Lazzari as a left winger on support (mainly due to his better defensive attributes being a better match against a more attacking opposition member), asking to to man mark right wing back Desederio and to also press him intensely as he's not the most comfortable on the ball despite his aggressive mentality, asking right inside forward Lorenzo Zafferani to sit narrower and man mark their IWB at left back, De Keyser and playing a slightly higher than normal defensive line to congest space in the middle for them, not worrying too much about balls over the top. Within 30 minutes, Desederio was sent off for a rash lunge on Lazzari, who had won the ball back from him. From there, we controlled possession - moving our playmaker back to the DM role to counter their move to a 4-2-2-1. In the end, our 16 shots on target to their 0 was a fantastic return, with our players averaging 7.28 to their 6.65 and us having 57% of the ball, cutting them open whenever we wanted. Of course, Caicara also scored two thunderbolts from the edge of the area to top this performance off. This has probably been the best performance, opposition considered, that I have had in my entire career at San Marino. Next time - I will endeavour to screenshot my thoughts and some game play.

Likewise, our game against Sampdoria, facing a narrow 4-2-3-1, saw us increase the mentality of the wingbacks to overload their full backs. All three goals came from moves down the flanks, two of which were well crafted pull backs and one expert long range thunderbolt from Caicara.

Three great results in the Europa League saw us top our group with exactly the same record as Borussia Dortmund (4-0-1) with 11 for and 1 against. The winner of the group will literally be decided by who can score most. Kyiv come to us and Dortmund go to Belgium. I can't work out the exact shift that is needed but away goals scored will count somewhere in sorting the teams. Hopefully - we can put a hatful past the Ukrainian's and top the group.

In our last game of the month - we showed Inter just a little too much time and space on the ball, and they had the upper hand throughout. I think a draw would have been a fair-ish result but we need to be a little more aggressive in our press, even away from home I feel. Never the less, the gap is only three points and we are pulling away well from those below us. It may be very early in the season but I can see this being our best ever finish.

Also, another milestone...

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, WillHoward42 said:

Juventus in 14th.... how long have they been this poor for?

A very sudden decline!

Sergio Conceicao left after winning the 2036/37 Scudetto and was replaced by Cristian Bucchi (now at Stuttgart). His record of 7-6-14 didn't even see him through the season and even caretaker Ron Vlaar lost all of his three games. They then poached Florian Kohfeldt from Koln, in January. Koln finished that season in 13th place so I don't envisage that he was a big name capture or even outperforming expectations. Since then, he has a 11-10-12 record and they are 12th as I enter December 2038. His job, as you can imagine, is insecure.

They have a great squad, on paper, continuously spending big but they, interestingly, spent no money this summer, with just two loans coming in - maybe a sign of worries from the board. I can't foresee them falling away into a true midtable/relegation candidate but it certainly is interesting to watch a (short term) demise of a team, especially when it opens up a slot for us to progress.

[_Ben_]

Mentoring update

For clarity, Samaniego has been here 2.5 years, Hernandez 1.5 years and Caicara 0.5 years. There has been no 'visible' change with any of these players (except for Nardella who actually lost Determination). Unfortunately, none of these three have made it to team leaders yet, and this may be where the sweet spot lies.

Has the had the impact that I wanted? I can't say for sure but it doesn't look like it...

Edited August 21, 2019 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

December 2038/January 2039

We're going to win the league, aren't we?

December was a great month - scoring enough goals against Kyiv to secure a place atop the group and a tie against Real Sociedad in the first knockout round, a draw away at Juve where they literally shut up shop from the first minute, showing us respect and, to me, fully announcing us as title contenders before some solid defensive performances against Lazio and Virtus.

We rested our side against Sampdoria, much to the annoyance of the board, but, given our league position, we had other things to focus on. I also took a slighted changed squad all the way to China where we lost the oddly-timed Supercoppa against Inter. They too rested players and are a really good side - we cannot rest on any laurels. The remaining four games in January have not seen us at our fluent best but we have managed to pick up points, largely through late goals. These teams are now seeing us as a big side and we are often faced with a very narrow and defensive formation with the lowest block possible - meaning that I am being tested to find creative ways to break through. Our performances haven't been great which means that either a) we are the sign of a true champion elect, winning games at our worst or b) when the tougher run of fixtures comes around, we are going to struggle.

Even a total collapse will probably not see us lose thirteen points to Napoli so I envisage second being the worst case scenario here. We are either in for the season of our dreams or an utter heartbreak from February onwards...

[_Ben_]

There is no need to panic?

Is there?

[Sysiphus]

3 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

There is no need to panic?

Is there?

Difficult games but this will test the character of your players. Let's see what the new guys have brought to the table...

[_Ben_]

4 minutes ago, Sysiphus said:

Difficult games but this will test the character of your players. Let's see what the new guys have brought to the table...

Indeed. We do have to play Inter again, but that is at home. Aside from a tie against Juve and then away at Lazio, we've got a fairly settled run in.

I mentioned a lack of work on mentoring - but there is a game, that I'll talk about in the next fixture update, where one of the new marquee signings really showed his worth! (another, not so much...)

[_Ben_]

Youth Update and Intake - 2039

The last two years have, if I'm honest, provided underwhelming intakes and I've been caught in the moment, throwing everyone but the top one or two of that away. That has left us with a squad of just about 30 players and ten of those being away on loan. Therefore, I am moving to sign all the players from the intakes and hope to develop them all to a level whereby they are at least able to stay in professional football. Last year, I highlighted Manuel Tomarchio as the best player from the intake but it has, in fact, been Andrea Poggiali who has impressed the most. He is listed as Pro/Level Headed and has made the most improvements in a year that I think I have seen anyone make:

He's far from the finished article, still only good enough for Serie C, and his attributes are potentially 'better' than they would suggest on the pitch as he's 'Right only' footed but he's swayed my thinking to not exclude anyone, at this point.

Here is my intake this year:

I was asking for a new feeder (I already have Vaduz, Danubio, Tre Penne and NK Zagreb as feeders) that would hopefully allow us to benefit from youth players and the board, once again, offered us Pole d'Espoirs, who were my feeder club for four or five years and provided the likes of Vadivelou, Vigneron, Lachaud and Fauvre. I took them back on, for the excitement of actually getting 'foreign' youngsters, if nothing more.

Overall - the intake isn't a great one. Normally, the French lads come under other players in the hierarchy but are much higher this year, despite not being great. There is really not a great spread of personalities here but hopefully the whole squad personality can have a positive impact on them. The best player though is Waye-Hive, for a number of reasons:

Firstly - he's actually quite good. At 17, he's nearly a year younger than the other two from our youth feeder. Next up, hes Resolute/Level Headed, which, if he follows the trend set by Poggiali, who had a similarly good personality (but nowhere near the level of determination) he could develop really quickly for me. Also, he's taller and more physical than me other strikers - I am getting to the point where, sometimes, a battering ram up top is needed. Lastly, and very strangely, he's declared for Seychelles, despite being born in France and having it as his second nationality. Seycehelles are ranked 210th in the world and he's already listed as their best player. Whilst he'll miss chunks of the season for their different international schedule - it'll be an honour to be part of developing the small island nation thanks to one player!

With Tre Penne, my Sammarinese feeder, being the best club in their league, I am really tempted to give this lad a bash and see what he can do with some first team football.

---

Below is my U18 team, now, for the first time, full. I will spend the next, at least, three years, working with these players but will happily weed anyone off who is really not developing/bringing other members of the squad down/not performing. I am not really sure of the impact of double intensity for younger players and whether it will impact the longevity of their career/increase their risk of more serious injuries as they age - but I do know I have a great youth coaching set up and a willingness to get as many of these lads into the first team of a professional club.

[bigmattb28]

Great read, just caught up with it all I'm a bit late to the party. Keep it up mate, very interesting way to approach a long term FM save.

[scarp]

Waye-Hive looks like the real deal. And I love the fact that he's from Seychely.

Edited August 23, 2019 by scarp

[kidthekid]

34 minutes ago, scarp said:

Waye-Hive looks like the real deal. And I love the fact that he's from Seychely.

unfortunately, it would not be long before Seychelles becomes his second nationality and France his first. It would have been cool to have a world beater from there.

Edited August 23, 2019 by kidthekid

[Kubson]

12 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

unfortunately, it would not be long before Seychelles becomes his second nationality and France his first. It would have been cool to have a world beater from there.

He's declared for Seychelles though, so I don't think it will be an issue

[_Ben_]

3 hours ago, bigmattb28 said:

Great read, just caught up with it all I'm a bit late to the party. Keep it up mate, very interesting way to approach a long term FM save.

Many thanks! It's a way of playing that I've slowly graduated to over the past couple of years. Definitely fallen out of love with a journeyman or taking over a big team - I love a big project!

3 hours ago, scarp said:

Waye-Hive looks like the real deal. And I love the fact that he's from Seychely.

And me! Hopefully he can guide them to world domination (or at least see them get their first competitive win since they beat Djibouti way back in 2020!)

3 hours ago, kidthekid said:

unfortunately, it would not be long before Seychelles becomes his second nationality and France his first. It would have been cool to have a world beater from there.

 

2 hours ago, Kubson said:

He's declared for Seychelles though, so I don't think it will be an issue

That was the strange thing that really drew me to him. Generated at a Sammarinese club (via a French youth academy), born in France, holding a French passport but, for some reason, declared for the Seychelles. Maybe he knows that he'll become the king after he retires from hopefully a long and successful career?

[_Ben_]

February/March 2039

First things first - our gap was six points at the end of January and is now two points (SPOILER: on the 2nd of April, Inter have come from 3 down to beat Napoli 5-4 with the last kick of the game, so we are, temporarily at least, down to second place).

These two months have been hard. Very hard. We opened with a demolishing of Bologna and ended February with a demolishing of Verona - Zafferani breaking a club record for goals in a single game on the way. In between that has been some difficult times - firstly a catastrophe in the first leg in San Sebastian nearly saw us out of the Europa League. Marquee signing/model professional/revelation Caicaira decided to lunge into an opponent after just eighteen minutes, deservedly getting sent off. Down to 10 men, I really had no clue what to do tactically and we spent the next seventy minutes chasing tails. Their two goals were fulled deserved and I went to town on the Brazilian - fining him, talking badly in the press etc. Next up, we conceded a late goal at home to Roma to drop two important points. When Sociedad came to town, Caicara down, we really turned on the style and other marquee signing/model professional/revelation Dario Samaniego took the game into his own hands from left back, supplying three of the four goals we we battered them. A second half consolation was completely ignored by me and we nearly threw it away looking for a fifth for some reason - with their striker hitting the post in the 87th minute! Next, another late collapse in Naples and some more dropped points. Inter were closing in.

March started really well - we dominated a poor Sevilla side but then, once again (notice a pattern) conceded in the 87th and 88th minute to throw away everything against Milan. We deserved to win, and win with ease, but the busy schedule and small first team (hence the move to taking all of the youth intake so, in future, I may actually have a squad to rotate!) meant that my players were running on empty. We followed it up with a solid showing in Sevilla but again, looked tired. A couple of days of well earned rest saw us smash Parma - a real show of force considering the way that the results had been going prior to that but again, we have let ourselves down - falling two goals down early on against the blue and white side of Genoa. Our rallying spirit cannot be faulted though as we knocked on the door but couldn't complete the dream comeback.

We face Borussia Monchengladbach in the quarter finals of the Europa league - a winnable tie against a mid-table side. I am concerned that they have literally nothing to play for and we, well, have everything. Interestingly, Inter also have a dual focus - they face VFL Wolsburg in their quarter final Europa League tie. Here is our run in compared to Inter's (ours is on the left):

San Marino: Atalanta (7th), Foggia (20th), Inter (2nd), Fiorentina (12th), Juventus (10th), Lecce (18th), Lazio (5th), Virtus (11th)

Inter: Sampdoria (8th), San Marino (1st), Sassuolo (15th), Genoa (14th), Roma (4th), Foggia (20th), Verona (13th)

I feel that there are three fixtures that will decide Serie A: San Marino vs Inter Milan, Inter Milan vs Roma and Lazio vs San Marino.

 

[scarp]

Bold prediction (maybe not so bold): if you beat Inter you win the league, if you draw or lose, you end up second.

[_Ben_]

9 minutes ago, scarp said:

Bold prediction (maybe not so bold): if you beat Inter you win the league, if you draw or lose, you end up second.

I agree.

But...

I have ran into an issue against bottom side Foggia:

Of course, they score from their three shots on target against a side I have rested as we have an important Europa League tie coming up. The gap is one point - I may need to beat Inter now...

[_Ben_]

San Marino vs Inter Milan

We come into the game in some absolutely shocking form...

Completely outplayed in both legs against BMG and we took an absolute battering trying to get back into the tie in Germany. Worries here are that I've pushed my strongest side to the limits as we exerted ourselves in mid-week. Inter, similarly to us, have gone out after a shock 2-0 defeat in their tie to VFL Wolsburg at the San Siro.

Here are the line ups:

There appears to be no injury problems for either team and I can assume that Inter have joined us in allowing some rest for the players following the mid-week game, with all the players reasonably fit. I have opted for Angelini as a CD(d) as opposed to Selva as a BPD(d) for a little bit of extra defensive stability and a player who can man mark Runic if needed.

The ball bounces around the edge of the area and it's that man, Caicara, who strikes it with vengeance into the top corner. Advantage San Marino. I've added the 'be more disciplined' and pushed time wasting up for the next few minutes, praising the team as we look to settle into the game.

Earlier in the season, I said that we never concede straight after scoring. A ball over the top and we are exposed - Runic is too good of a player to miss that kind of chance. Both of the team instructions are removed.

A goal that has come from absolutely nothing, if I'm honest. They win the ball back on the half way line - and, with several defenders around him, Runic manages to find the bottom corner with a speculative drive from 20 yards. Not a goal we could really do anything about yet not one of those screamers that we should be holding our hands up and applauding.

It's very even - 8 shots a piece and we are certainly not out of it. I've told the team I expect more and they are all fired up. No changes as of yet.

We break down the right and a superb ball between the defence and goalkeeper from Valentini is finished emphatically by Zavoli. Parity restored and we are back on top of the league. Inter have no switched to a flat 4-3-3 so I've got to watch them overpowering our defenders.

It's over. We were maybe the better side but Inter are truly ruthless. It's all going to come down to that trip to Rome to face Lazio, I feel...

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

April 2019

It's now out of our hands. Three games where we have dropped points - Foggia was careless, Inter was unlucky and Fiorentina was a miracle. Viola didn't muster a single attempt at goal, let alone on target and we threw everything at them for 90 minutes - how we didn't find the goal, I do not know. Inter, as expected, have moved ahead of us and they now need to drop points for us to bring home the scudetto.

[Lucas]

I can't look.

[_Ben_]

5 minutes ago, Lucas said:

I can't look.

I can't play! I feel like I'm live posting my own demise...

This will help though...

[kidthekid]

8 hours ago, Kubson said:

He's declared for Seychelles though, so I don't think it will be an issue

Completely missed that.

[_Ben_]

May 2039 and end of season

We ran out of steam in the end. A valiant effort but we have much to learn. The board does not even acknowledge the fact that, at one point, we had an eight point advantage over Inter but are just delighted that we came second, as we should be. We have vastly overachieved, I believe, in a season where I have got to learn about tactical tweaks and playing styles in much more depth than I ever have before. In the end, we succumbed to a wonder strike from Keita, Lazio's winger but it wasn't even that defeat that caused this turnaround. You only have to look at Inter's form since January to know that those draws, starting with the Foggia collapse cost us - right in the midst of our busiest part of the season.

We have Champions League football to look forward to next year but I have a feeling that there won't be such a large gap at the top next season and we will have to work hard to stay there. 

Here are the individual stats:

I can't actually fault the players here - goals came from various places, DM Caicaara breaking double figures, both wingers chipping in with 13 and a 20+ goal haul from striker Zavoli have shown that we know where the net is. Defensively, we are solid - each of my starting defenders (and, in fact, all but two of the team) averaging over 7.0 and some real standout performances across the board. I have some succinct plans to freshen the first team up for next season, which I will detail in a future post.

I don't plan on this being a one season wonder!

[Lucas]

[_Ben_]

3 minutes ago, Lucas said:

One of the biggest things I'm going to have to manage here, and one that I've completely ignored to this point, is being able to have a squad that can perform in September and April. With just one signing a season, we have no quick way to improve the depth.

The league wasn't lost when we we lost to Lazio, it just widened the gap - and I need to tell myself that it was a series of draws, not one loss that has cost us. As I said - I've learnt so much more about the tactical side of the game in this season than I had in the previous 18, combined.

Thanks for the continued reading and posting about my game @Lucas!

[Lucas]

1 minute ago, _Ben_ said:

One of the biggest things I'm going to have to manage here, and one that I've completely ignored to this point, is being able to have a squad that can perform in September and April. With just one signing a season, we have no quick way to improve the depth.

The league wasn't lost when we we lost to Lazio, it just widened the gap - and I need to tell myself that it was a series of draws, not one loss that has cost us. As I said - I've learnt so much more about the tactical side of the game in this season than I had in the previous 18, combined.

Thanks for the continued reading and posting about my game @Lucas!

You'll find it easier eventually, it just might not be next season, especially if you over achieved now. 

Those early games are going to be really crucial next season. Let us know your fixture list when you have it  

[_Ben_]

2039/40 Squad Preview

I'm going make a few changes and, in one case, be bold as we move into the next season. Last year - we suffered, badly, towards the end, with tired legs and fixture congestion. I like to have different types of players to play in the same position, as it gives me some tactical flexibility within the shape that I like to play so I have looked into that, too. With just 22 players used last year, we ranked 19th best there - and that is something that needs addressing. I didn't run an u20 squad (u18 players were selected in the teams) because all of those players were out on loan - even if they aren't considered to ever be good enough for my first team. I also, before the youth intake, had just four players in my u18 team. This is uncommon for me and has seen both of our age group teams really struggle and the first team have issues when there are injuries.

---

As you saw, I signed all of the 16 candidates. This was lessened by three within a couple of weeks as they had very poor personalities and has since seen another leave due to a poor personality and shocking level of determination. Moving on the players who are due to turn 19 during the season, I am left with 13 players. Of this lot, Poggiali (highlighted in the youth update due to excellent progress) has made five appearances, all from the bench, for the first team. I must say that it is not the best group of youngsters I have ever had but in Poggiali, Tomarchio and Fiorini (personality aside), I feel that there could be some players knocking on the door of my first team in the coming years.

---

Next up is the u20 squad and the one main difference that I plan to make here is loaning out players who are very near to first team football, only. I have two affiliates, Taranto and Pro Vercelli, who play in Serie B, and these will be used, along with any Serie A clubs available, if a player is nearly ready. If they are still performing at a Serie C level, I now want them to stay and, hopefully, progress within the club. With £80m+ in the bank, there is literally no need to sell these players and I want to give them the longest possible time to develop before moving them on.

Of these, I plan to keep De Santis as my backup goalkeeper for as long as he is willing to stay in the reserve team. Elsewhere, you can see that there is a lot of experience, but the vast majority of this has come at Serie C level, and no better. The likes of Pio D'Arienzo and Fortunato are slightly older and, whilst not really up to the standard of this league, could well find themselves on the bench in games against weaker opposition. Hopefully, the younger lads - Occhipinti and Rossi will continue to get better playing in this team and be available to get first team minutes in the next couple of years.

This is my current squad:

----

The first team has seen one major change. Leonardo Marra was backup striker for Lorenzo Zavoli but was remarkably similar to him and I found that, if Zavoli was being marked out of the game, Marra wouldn't be able to come on and influence it in other ways. He also has struggled for goals in his time here - just 16 strikes in 129 appearances is really not good enough for a team that are, hopefully, challenging around the top of the league. He has also grown tired of living life as a backup and, at 22, has pretty much maxed himself out, meaning that, if I wanted to truly rotate him, I would significantly be weakening my attack for key matches. He is moving on to Utrecht for a fee of £3.6m, potentially rising to £4.9m. He'll play Europa League football and presumably will be a key player in a weaker league where I hope he'll do well. I am taking a risk now but the man coming in to replace him is Patrick Waye-Hive, the 17 year old Seychellois striker. Firstly - comparatively (PWH is in blue) he is not that much weaker. I like to see a heart shape on the octagon of a good striker - poor defensively but pretty strong elsewhere and PWH has something that Marra doesn't - an ability in the air. When we are chasing games, against poorer opposition, I see that a targetman-esque player leading the line, with the pace of Zafferani and Valentini in behind him as potentially being frightening. He's also 17. There should be no moaning about a lack of first team football and he will purely be backup, at this point.  Also - and the absolute kicker, his personality. If he was listed as Balanced, or even F.Pro, I wouldn't have taken this gamble - the combination of him being slightly older and having a good personality should allow him to develop really well from the off and, whilst he might not be up to it now, he could well be by the end of the season. If we lose Zavoli for six months, we will be short - but there are some different options I can use up top, with Zafferani, Canti and Valentini all able to fulfil an F9 type role - although this will lead to tactical changes further back. 

Lastly, I'm introducing two players into the team who can assist in some squad depth - Francesco Renzi and Luca Colombini. Both of these two have been out on loan, Renzi impressing at Serie B Pescara with eight assists and five goals in seventeen games at an average rating of 7.17. He's currently got two traits I dislike - knocking the ball past his opponent would indicate he's a good dribbler, which he isn't and playing long balls isn't really what I want from my attacking fulcrum. He'll 'unlearn' those and hopefully will develop reasonably well - particularly later in the season when it was clear that Davide Zafferani was struggling to keep up with the constant barrage of matches. Colombini, on the other hand, has played a season for Foggia in Serie A, unfortunately being on the winning side just once. He initially generated as just an MC with plenty of other competent areas so I have made the move to make him as versatile as possible, offering some cover at both full back slots and in the middle of the park. Here is my current squad:

---

Any screenshot requests - let me know!

Edited August 24, 2019 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

4 hours ago, Lucas said:

You'll find it easier eventually, it just might not be next season, especially if you over achieved now. 

Those early games are going to be really crucial next season. Let us know your fixture list when you have it  

We are touring Indonesia during pre-season so hopefully we can build some confidence against some poor opposition. 

In terms of the league, we have a kind start:

In a 'bad' return, I'd like 16 points from that - just dropping points against a resurgent Napoli side who were poor last year. The month after is less kind though:

Fortunately - the reverse fixtures are spread out a little and we travel to Inter at the end of April, Milan in February and Lazio in March. We face Roma on the 9th May 2040, which, going on this season - could be a really important fixture.

---

One bonus, for me, is that Champions League fixtures are on Tues and Wed and not on Thurs - meanin we'll have more rest before we return to league action on the weekend.

[_Ben_]

Managerial moves

This is big! The man who guided Inter to the title has left. Southampton are a pretty big club and in the Champions League next year but it does feel like a bit of step down:

I do find this quite strange about FM - there is always a managerial merry-go-round and nobody seems to stay put for any length of time. I won't post the screenshot as it is full of managers at obscure clubs - but here is a list of long serving managers in my game:

Neil Harris - Milwall. 24 yr 119 days

Brad Friedel - New England Revolution. 21 years 240 days

Neither of those are playing for clubs in playable leagues for me.

----- 

Teles - San Marino. 19 years 7 days

-----

Leonardo Jardim - Athletico Madrid. 5 years 18 days

Dani Alves - Everton. 4 years 119 days.

Paulo Fonseca - Lyon. 3 years 345 days

Zinedine Zidane - Tottenham. 2 years 191 days

Diego Simeone - Chelsea. 2 years 29 days

Unai Emery - Barcelona. 2 years 3 days

Luis Enrique - FC Bayern. 1 year 352 days

Mickael Landreau - Milan. 1 year 177 days

Jerome Gondorf - Dortmund. 1 year 163 days

Domenico Tedesco - Liverpool. 1 year 38 days

Pep Guardiola - PSG. 1 year 14 days

Clarence Seedorf - Man Utd. 351 days

Thomas Tuchel - RB Leipzig. 335 days

Julian Nagelsmann - Real Madrid. 121 days

Vincenzo Montella - Man City. 6 days

---

It does seem that the top managers just move around from big club to big club so nice to see that Dost himself, Landreau and Gondorf, both players during the game, have had a look in. 

 

[john1]

Incredible October fixtures  Hopefully you can pick up points.

[john1]

Wow, Neil Harris is still Millwall manager?  

[Lucas]

October looks tough @_Ben_ but at least those crucial games are all at home (this might get split up by European games?) so it'll be interesting how things pan out injury wise. 

Getting Napoli at home to start is good IMO just to get it out of the way. Should be looking for maximum points  

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, john1 said:

Wow, Neil Harris is still Millwall manager?  

I don't have the Championship loaded so he's one of those that just stays there because there are no players and other staff to generate any fixtures and that kind of thing.

 

11 hours ago, john1 said:

Incredible October fixtures  Hopefully you can pick up points.

 

9 hours ago, Lucas said:

October looks tough @_Ben_ but at least those crucial games are all at home (this might get split up by European games?) so it'll be interesting how things pan out injury wise. 

Getting Napoli at home to start is good IMO just to get it out of the way. Should be looking for maximum points  

Yeah - there are some other dates to take into consideration, too. The 18/19th October looks to be a CL fixture date and the 8th and 11th are international dates - with San Marino facing France first and then Kosovo. Hernandez has a bit further to go with Colombia as they face Bolivia and Peru on those dates and Samaniego has Venezuela and Argentina when playing for Paraguay. I've never really even considered the impact of international morale but hopefully the core of my team, after beating Kosovo, should be in decent spirits.

[_Ben_]

New signing

Not a marquee signing, just an ex-youth player who can add some depth to the side. I always had a plan in my mind that resigning youth players was fine, bearing in mind that I did develop them myself. However, I've not been able to find a single player who would actually add something (minus Vadivelou, obviously, but he has just left). Alessandro Mularoni, below, re-signs on a free transfer and will predominantly feature in the reserve team but is an experienced head who can offer something in a time of fixture congestion:

Since Sassuolo paid £1.6m for him at the start of our Serie B campaign, he became a rotational option for them before moving on to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2033. He was, again, semi-regular in the Bundesliga and moved on to HSV in 2037 where he played a full year as an important player. He dropped down to their second team for the whole of last season but rarely featured and was released at the end of his deal.

Alessandro has made 120 appearances for us, yet none above Serie C level.

[kidthekid]

How is the national team doing? The quality of your domestic talent should lead to better national team results surely

Edited August 26, 2019 by kidthekid

[_Ben_]

12 hours ago, kidthekid said:

How is the national team doing? The quality of your domestic talent should lead better national team results surely

Yeah - they are doing quite well, but seem to have stagnated a little with their world ranking, which sits at 66th at the moment.

Here is the starting line up for their last game:

Muccioli and Bianchi are from my own academy and, as you can see, there is a huge amount of experience here internationally. On the bench, there is also L.Zafferani (43 caps) and Canti (72 caps).

In terms of performances, they've just done this:

Gone of the days of hard fought nations league ties against Andorra, they are now smashing them. What is more impressive though is the win over Argentina, the third best team in the world.  They've got a hard group trying to qualify for Portugal 2040, as seen below:

They are in Nations League Group 3, the third tier and were unlucky not to get promoted last time. I envisage that their ranking will grow if they can win promotion back to the second tier of that.

---

If you want any more screenshots or anything @kidthekid, let me know!

 

[_Ben_]

2039/40 Pre Season Report

Not something I normally focus on, but with the worries around lack of squad depth, tiredness and a lack of different options, I wanted to spend a little longer going through this. My board decided to arrange a pre-season tour on Indonesia, not sure why, but never mind. This meant, that, in a shortened pre-season (I chose only 3 weeks after the exploits of last year), I would be spending the vast majority of that travelling to and from Indonesia, as well as playing a group of teams who really aren't good enough to prove a lot to me. Never the less, here are the results:

Not much to show here in terms of results and challenge for the team. What is more important though, to me, is the player performances. Below is how the training camp squad performed, with first team on the left and reserves on the right. Since the culmination of the tour, there has been one reserve fixture, which is why some people have made five appearances and Luca Colombini, annoyingly, appears in both squads:

I'll just summarise with some positives and negatives from this.

Positives

+  Goals are coming from everywhere. Corbelli, the right back, has chipped in with two, as has J. Valentini with one, Caicara with 4 (all in one game) and plenty from the attacking midfield trio.

+ Occhinpinti has played himself into my plans. More of a playmaker than an out and out winger and not good enough to hold down a first team place but looks like he could be a useful option off the bench. Took his two goals well and set up another two. He'll need some work to develop him but the signs, on the pitch, are there.

+ High average ratings across the team. Even though we were playing against a very poor set of teams, we have all chipped in.

 

Negatives

- Waye-Hive is worrying me. He doesn't have the presence that Zavoli does when on the pitch and I feel will go missing. I want to re-evaluate my options but I am aware that the transfer deadline is looming.

- After Waye-Hive, there is Rossi and Fortunato, and neither of those have really impressed, either.

- Despite Gasperoni and Corbelli averaging high - they worried me defensively and I feel that, against better teams, they will be found out. Valentini is first choice and Cervellini is able to play there but I prefer the latter as a ball playing defender now. I really lack depth here.

- Nitpicking, but Stefanelli has not been tested in pre-season, at all. He'll completed all of his passes, a grand total of 9(!!!), parried on save in the first match and was beaten by a 30-yard opportunist strike in the last game. Hopefully, he's ready!

- Caicara picked up a knock and, due to that, isn't match fit, yet. Worrying, D.Zafferani, Andrea Canti, Luca Colombini and Emmanuele Rech are all lacking match fitness. The season is upon is now and it is concerning that some key players are not ready.

----

Let's see how this season pans out!

[scarp]

Who is the best San Marino player that is not your product?

[_Ben_]

Just now, scarp said:

Who is the best San Marino player that is not your product?

Good question!

There isn't a single player in the main national team squad who hasn't come through my academy. Here is the best player in the u21 squad that wasn't produced by me:

Obviously, I haven't completely scouted him but you can really see the difference in quality here. He moved for £74k to La Fiorita and is a regular there.

[_Ben_]

Ok, maybe the draw I wanted against Napoli was me underestimating this team, @Lucas?

As complete performance as we're probably going to get.

Let's hope that we don't burn out as we did last season...

Edited August 26, 2019 by _Ben_