[FM20] Manchester United: Falling Giant...

[karanhsingh]

2 minutes ago, warlock said:

SMS was under consideration but he didn't look like value for money and while I was wrestling with Pogba Liverpool did me a favour by signing him up. Initially went for Aouar but his agent wanted ridiculous money so my scouts are poring over Europe at the moment. But I'll probably park this save for a while - I have the urge to start up another EFL campaign 

 just doesn't feel right to spend so much (imaginary) money does it? I am much the same...

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 minutes ago, warlock said:

I love Garner but I like him as DLP in the DM spot. If I use him to replace Pogba it'll mean quite a bit of tactical rejigging, but definitely something to think about.

Yeah that is true. It will be interesting to see what you do.

[MatthewS17]

10 hours ago, BigV said:

Agreed, it didnt bother me just more realistic but then again im not having that city team grow any bloody bigger, too OP as it is. stormed my league 1st season in head to head with me. 

Lmao, they signed Dias in my save, so I'm not bothered. 

They also signed Lautaro and are now going after Halaand. 😐

[milan_manutd]

Some april, ha...

[BigV]

1 hour ago, MatthewS17 said:

Lmao, they signed Dias in my save, so I'm not bothered. 

They also signed Lautaro and are now going after Halaand. 😐

They are well and truely disgusting in the market when it comes to FM, they buy anyone and everyone. They bought 3 defenders in mine and it was ramos, varane and bastoni... 

I have lauturo in my sights, most complete forward i've seen in a while. Ouuuhhhh i'd spite them for halaand simply cause he's a beast in most saves. 

[sedge11]

3 hours ago, BigV said:

They are well and truely disgusting in the market when it comes to FM, they buy anyone and everyone. They bought 3 defenders in mine and it was ramos, varane and bastoni..

Pretty much their approach in real life with defenders 😂.

[rocky0]

I had my previous save corrupted so I decided to start over and try some different things.  The team struggled early on even though we were winning.  Once I made a change of the tactic, everything was going better.  We have a good lead over Liverpool and the others after a really good run of matches.  We still have 16 matches left to play but the lead is steadily growing.  I created a tactic for the first time and I am very happy with how it's going so far.

 

[MatthewS17]

That result makes me want to restart my FM save because winning a CL with Maguire and AWB isn't realistic. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[sedge11]

30 minutes ago, MatthewS17 said:

That result makes me want to restart my FM save because winning a CL with Maguire and AWB isn't realistic. 🤦🏻‍♂️

😂 I know what you mean, I can’t play my Man Utd save tonight after that result. I can’t look at them players in my team and want to use them right now.

[MatthewS17]

35 minutes ago, sedge11 said:

😂 I know what you mean, I can’t play my Man Utd save tonight after that result. I can’t look at them players in my team and want to use them right now.

Lmao, I'm about 90% made up on starting over if I load up in the next 2 hours or so. 

[sedge11]

17 minutes ago, MatthewS17 said:

Lmao, I'm about 90% made up on starting over if I load up in the next 2 hours or so. 

I just need a night off of it after that, though at same time I’m thinking I might leave it, and maybe once the transfer window has closed, re download the update I had but with all the transfers completed then go again.

[MatthewS17]

37 minutes ago, sedge11 said:

I just need a night off of it after that, though at same time I’m thinking I might leave it, and maybe once the transfer window has closed, re download the update I had but with all the transfers completed then go again.

Fair point. I could end up managing someone else in the meantime. Always an option. 

 

[Chapman7]

On 03/09/2020 at 02:26, Gee_Simpson said:

Yeah, this really surprises me too. Obviously Alisson and Ederson aren't viable options, who else is actually good at distribution, I suppose Onana? But I don't think he's on De Gea's level overall sadly.

Does anyone play De Gea as an SK (S)? I feel he's capable of being an SK (D), but probably better left as a standard GK?

Always use him as Sweeper Keeper - Support

[Chapman7]

On 13/09/2020 at 10:26, MatthewS17 said:

I use a 4-1-4-1 DM with Sancho and Rashford both on IW on support. There are a few Player Instructions here and there to make Sancho the creator and Rashford the goalscoring winger, but I think the link up between the 3 is what gets the best out of him. But if you want to know, I play Bruno as MEZ(S), Pogba as AP(S) and Matic as DLP(D). Wingbacks on support. 

Team Instructions are basically Pass It Shorter, Pass Into Space, Lower Tempo and Play Through The Middle(To increase Individual Mentalities). The rest you can probably figure out.

 

As for Martial, he is the focal point and the main goalscorer. I alternate between Advanced Forward and Complete Forward(A). You'll probably get more goals out of him with Advanced Forward but I like to get him more involved so I switched back to Complete Forward, which will probably drop his goal count. All I want now is to push his decision-making as far as I can.

 

To be fair, I can bring him on at any time and anywhere and he just scores goals this season. He's my player with the greatest X-factor. Would never replace him for anyone atm.

 

 

What are the instructions you add for Rashford to be the scorer and Jadon the creator if you don't mind me asking 

[MatthewS17]

23 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

What are the instructions you add for Rashford to be the scorer and Jadon the creator if you don't mind me asking 

Rashford - IW(S)
 - Get Further Forward
 - Stay Wider
 - Take More Risks
 - Cross Less Often

Sancho - IW(S), sometimes W(S)
 - Stay Wider
 - Take More Risks

 

That's about it.

[Chapman7]

3 minutes ago, MatthewS17 said:

Rashford - IW(S)
 - Get Further Forward
 - Stay Wider
 - Take More Risks
 - Cross Less Often

Sancho - IW(S), sometimes W(S)
 - Stay Wider
 - Take More Risks

 

That's about it.

Some are similar to what I use, may give the others a shot see how he does. Have always struggled to get him to become a goal scorer and to be consistent. May give the creator instructions for James & Lingard(plan to sell end of season) 

Also that thread you mentioned on total football is that on here or another site?

Edited October 5, 2020 by Chapman7

[Chapman7]

Who do people use as their go to HOYD?

[MatthewS17]

Anybody come across any  great options to act as a controller in midfield, realistically and in FM? I have Declan Rice in DM, and Bruno Fernandes as the one of my forward midfielders, but I need another to balance the two.
Something like a Toni Kroos type of player, but without me having to sign Toni Kroos. I like the look of Houssem Aouar, but he seems too offensive. On the other hand, Ruben Neves seems too defensive.

[Chapman7]

1 minute ago, MatthewS17 said:

Anybody come across any  great options to act as a controller in midfield, realistically and in FM? I have Declan Rice in DM, and Bruno Fernandes as the one of my forward midfielders, but I need another to balance the two.
Something like a Toni Kroos type of player, but without me having to sign Toni Kroos. I like the look of Houssem Aouar, but he seems too offensive. On the other hand, Ruben Neves seems too defensive.

Fred was quite a balanced player on one of my United saves if you still have him should be able to do the job you are looking for 

[krisdonna]

So United signed Vd beek, Telles, Cavani, Pellistri and Traore this window?

Time to start a new game with an update.

Edited October 5, 2020 by krisdonna

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

Fred... should be able to do the job you are looking for 

Agreed. And James Garner is an excellent backup/rotation option. 

[Gee_Simpson]

May as well wait for FM21 now lads, especially if you are thinking of starting or have just started a save! It's basically released 10th November (beta) which is only practically a month away now, so makes sense to wait imo.

Got a dilemma though with regards to disabling the 1st summer window or not, it makes sense to disable the 1st window before the January window arrives irl so everyone starts the season with the updated sqauds with no extra additions added on top but I honestly want Maguire, Bailly and Lindelof out of there ASAP, oh and Rojo, and Jones  Smalling already gone but tbh he was the best out of that bunch imo, the CB situation at the club is crazy. I'll be addressing that and the RW position at the first opportunity, and yes it will likely be Sancho!  My CB targets will probably be Milenkovic, Upamecano and Demiral, possibly Onguene if he still has similar potential to FM20 or maybe a new wonderkid CB in FM21 we don't know about yet. 

Edited October 6, 2020 by Gee_Simpson

[sedge11]

7 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

Who do people use as their go to HOYD?

Klug from Ipswich is my go to.

[BigV]

Im thinking of giving up tbh, there was a game yesterday against burnley, had the better chances, missed 5 sitters and lost 2-0 by chris wood headers. I raged so hard i quit after my first game, something about the ME really aggrovates me.

The CAM position did me in, 8 games with a 6.5 rating and thats bruno playing them all, tried a 433 but was so boring to watch, im probably gonna delete it by sometime today and go back to 17, 

I gotta say the new kids coming in will be a blast for development, just hope fm21 delivers 

[Chapman7]

16 hours ago, sedge11 said:

Klug from Ipswich is my go to.

Did look at him but like mine to play similar formation and style and his is 4-4-2 or atleast on mine and I play 4-1-4-1 passing 

[MatthewS17]

On 06/10/2020 at 13:13, BigV said:

Im thinking of giving up tbh, there was a game yesterday against burnley, had the better chances, missed 5 sitters and lost 2-0 by chris wood headers. I raged so hard i quit after my first game, something about the ME really aggrovates me.

The CAM position did me in, 8 games with a 6.5 rating and thats bruno playing them all, tried a 433 but was so boring to watch, im probably gonna delete it by sometime today and go back to 17, 

I gotta say the new kids coming in will be a blast for development, just hope fm21 delivers 

Hey, you do you. I'm only going to even look at FM21 in January. And even then, I'll look at the reviews on here first. 

Similar to what you did for FM20. 

Until then, just about finding stuff to play. 

[BigV]

1 hour ago, MatthewS17 said:

Hey, you do you. I'm only going to even look at FM21 in January. And even then, I'll look at the reviews on here first. 

Similar to what you did for FM20. 

Until then, just about finding stuff to play. 

Ima watch a few streams and the "official" one they've done last 2-3 years, i've got a few games to kill the time, just that i want a updated united save that "works".

I checked over that game i had against burnley and decided to watch the full match and was even more annoyed, completely played them off the park, might have to use a game breaking tactic to appease myself 

[Chapman7]

Wonder how long Jose Mourinho will last or if he can manage to pull them back up the league  First choice keeper out for like 3-4 months, now their second choice is out for few weeks so stuck without what would be third choice in Vorm due to unregistered and listed for loan and transfer, so playing Alfie Whiteman from the under 23's who abysmal of a player at 20. Oh Kane is also out so Jose playing a quite defensive 4-1-4-1 flat DM. Quite dissapointed I don't play them until December 

[stevecummins78]

My Manchester United story... winning the lot!

 

2019/20

I didn’t expect us to challenge for the Premier League title with the squad I inherited. The focus was instead on establishing new signings and developing young players. Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James had all already joined the club, but the signing of Bruno Fernandes, brought forward to the summer of 2019, was to be transformational for us.

Bruno scored on his Premier League debut, a 2-2 opening day draw at home to Chelsea. It was disappointing to concede a last minute equaliser but worse was to come in the second match, a 0-3 loss at Wolves. We got a first win through a 1-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace, followed up by a 2-1 win at Southampton which featured a first senior gaol for Mason Greenwood. Mason was thrown in to the first team early due to an injury to Anthony Martial, and although he struggled at times he would go on to score 8 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign. September brought a good run of results. We beat Leicester City 3-1 (with Maguire scoring his first United goal against his former club), followed by victories over West Ham United and Arsenal. The first league defeat came at Newcastle United on 6 October, but we bounced back with a 2-1 victory over eventual champions Liverpool. Our form in November and December was excellent, with big wins over Brighton and Hove Albion (3-0), Aston Villa (6-0), Everton (3-0) and Burnley (4-0).

Going in to the new year we were well placed in the top four and a title push even looked a possibility. A 0-3 defeat at Chelsea in January was a setback, and they emerged as the side most capable of challenging Liverpool at the top. We reached the final of the EFL Cup, against Liverpool, but they won an even game 0-1 with a goal from Jordan Henderson. I was more disappointed by the way in which we went out of the FA Cup at home to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur side in the fifth round. Scott McTominay was sent off early in the second half and although we took it to extra time Harry Kane scored their winning goal. Everton eventually won the competition denying Liverpool a domestic treble by beating them in the final. We ended the league campaign strongly, winning 9 out of the last 10 matches. We finished third on 84 points, behind Chelsea just on goal  difference and 10 points behind Liverpool. Manchester City claimed the fourth Champions League spot ahead of Arsenal, though Pep Guardiola was sacked after what was a disappointing season for the deposed champions.

Marital was fantastic when he came back from injury, scoring a career-best 29 goals in all competitions. Marcus Rashford got 21, with Bruno chipping in an impressive 14 from midfield. Paul Pogba was also a strong performer, providing 13 assists from a deeper playmaking position. I felt that our attacking play deserved a trophy to show for it, and a further opportunity for silverware came in the Europa League. A group containing Standard Liege, Trabzonspor and Young Boys was negotiated relatively smoothly. We then breezed through the knockout stages with aggregate victories over Espanyol (6-1), Roma (5-0), RB Leipzig (5-2) and Galatasaray (6-1). A final against Borussia Dortmund looked likely but they surprisingly lost the second leg of their semi-final at home to fellow German side Borussia Monchengladbach. We dominated the final in Gdansk, though it took until the second half before goals from Martial and Rashford put us in control. Gladbach responded through a goal by Marcus Thuram but a stoppage time strike from Daniel James sealed the club’s second Europa League success in five years.

 

2020/21

I continued the clear out that had commenced under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while prioritising the strengthening of our forward line. Jadon Sancho was the major signing at £86m, with Moussa Dembele signed for £40m to provide cover for Martial. Jesse Lingard, who had started the previous season well, had dropped off in 2020 and so I sold him to Southampton for £24m, who also took Andrea Pereira for £20m. I managed to get Alexis Sanchez out of the club, albeit covering a significant chunk of his wages to move on a free transfer to Lokomotiv Moscow. I also sold Luke Shaw to Everton for £23m. I replaced him with Leicester’s Ben Chilwell, signed for £56m and an upgrade in that position even with the emergence of Brandon Williams. I was also desperate to move some central defenders on, eventually selling Phil Jones to West Ham (£15m), Chris Smalling to Lazio (£28m) and Eric Baily to Hebei in China (£11m). This raised funds to help meet the cost of signing Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan for £72m. Although we spent £254m, with departures the overall net expenditure on transfers was £131m. I wanted to bring success back to United, but I did not want to do it by spending silly money. I also had faith in our youngsters and expected big things from the likes of Dean Henderson, Ethan Laird, Axel Tuanzabe, Brandon Williams, James Garner and Mason Greenwood. I persuaded Paul Pobga to stay and sign a new contract, and there were also new deals for Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Matic.

Marital set the tone for an incredible season for him personally with a hat-trick in an opening ay 4-0 victory over Burnley. Defeat in the UEFA Super Cup against Atletico Madrid was followed by league draws against Wolves and Everton but we returned ti winning ways against Leicester City before beating champions Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield with a winning goal from Pogba. We then thrashed Sheffield United 8-1, with hat-tricks from both Martial and Rashford. Our return to the Champions League saw us in a group with Bayer Leverkusen, Spartak Moscow and Real Madrid. An opening 1-0 victory against Leverkusen in Germany was followed by a 3-0 home win against Spartak, but we were then heavily beaten 0-3 by Real in Madrid. We then lost 1-3 at Crystal Palace in the league and 0-1 at home to Wolves in the EFL Cup. We got back to winning ways against Brentford before gaining revenge over Real in a 3-0 home victory. Qualification for the last 16 was secured by a 2-1 victory against Leverkusen. Other than a narrow 0-1 defeat at Chelsea we were flying in the Premier League, securing big victories over Norwich (3-0), Southampton (6-2), Manchester City (3-0), and Bournemouth (4-0). We gained revenge over Palace by routing them 8-0 at Old Trafford on 28 December, featuring another Martial hat-trick. That form continued in to January with further wins over Fulham (4-0), Blackburn (5-0) and Tottenham (3-1). Liverpool’s form was equally consistent, and by the beginning of February they were still 3 points ahead, but we kept on winning throughout that month and a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth on 27 February put us top of the table for the first time since since October.

The Champions League resumed against Valencia and after a comfortable 3-0 first leg victory at home we drew 2-2 in Spain to progress to the quarter-final, where we would again face Real Madrid. We should have won by more than the one goal in the first leg and I had doubts about going to Madrid with just a 1-0 lead. Toni Kroos gave them a half time lead but Maguire’s headed equaliser just before the hour left them needing to score twice. Harry Kane put them ahead a couple of minutes later before Maguire scored an unfortunate own goal on 74 minutes. With six minutes to go we were awarded a penalty that would have levelled the aggregate score and put us ahead on away goals but Martial had his kick saved and we were out.

At least we were able to make progress in the FA Cup. I rotated the side for the victories over Reading and Barnsley, before we travelled to West Bromwich Albion in the fifth round. A 1-1 draw took the game to penalties where 15 spot kicks were converted before Dean Henderson saved from Darnell Furlong to put us through. We then won 4-0 at Newcastle to set up a Wembley semi-final against holders Everton. The tie came just four days after the defeat in Madrid but we bounced back to win 1-0 with a Pogba goal just before half-time. Our form had also dropped off in the league and the goals were drying up. We lost 0-2 at Manchester City in March, followed by a 0-1 loss at Southampton in April which was our worst performance of the season. I dropped several players, including Maguire, Pogba, Sancho and Martial, for the game at Leicester City three days later, but we managed to win 1-0 through a Daniel James goal. Liverpool lost at home to Southampton on the same day and as we went in to May the title was very much in our own hands.

Martial scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Everton, followed by both goals in a 2-0 win at relegated Sheffield United. The final match of the season was the title decider against second place Liverpool at Old Trafford. We only needed a draw to be champions and when Scott McTominay got on the end of a Fernandes cross to give us the lead in the 18th minute the stadium erupted. Liverpool created few clear cut chances and we saw the game out to secure a 21st league title. It was our 30th league victory of the season, giving us a club record 94 points. Martial won the Premier League golden boot with an incredible 31 goals, just one short of Dennis Viollet’s club record set in 1959/60. Next up were Wolves in the FA Cup final, who played well but we were too strong for them on the day. Fernandes slipped Martial through to open the scoring after 20 minutes (his 23rd assist of the season) then nine minutes later Fernandes took advantage of the referees’ decision to play on after a foul to smash home an effort from 25 metres. He scored again in the second half to round off a 3-0 victory. We had won the ‘double’ and I was now secure in my role, with a new contact to 2025. I now wanted a serious crack at the Champions League.

 

2021/22

It was hard to improve a team that had just won the double and there wasn’t an obvious weakness in our first eleven, so my transfer business was about strengthening the depth of the squad. I had decided not to extend Juan Mata’s contract as his influence on games had diminished, and I sold Nemenja Matic to Blackburn Rovers for £8m. To replace them I signed Donny van de Beek from Ajax for £35m, and Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City for £34m. I also brought in Filip Stevanovic, a youngster from Partizan Belgrade, for just £2m. A lot of money went on new deals for some players, notably Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Ben Chilwell also wanted an improved deal, asking for wages of over £200k a week. He had just had a fine debut season but his contribution in terms of attacking play wasn't anything like Wan-Bissaka’s. I offered him double his salary but he refused, and then went public about his unhappiness. That stand off, plus a desire to add a bit more attacking threat from left back, meant I spent £21m to bring in Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid.

There had been a huge turnover of managers in the Premier League. Carlo Ancelotti had replaced Pep Guardiola at Manchester City after he failed to retain the title in 2020, and now a similar fate befell Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Klopp took up the reigns at Real Madrid, while Liverpool brought in club legend Steven Gerrard, fresh from winning the Championship title with Brighton. Tottenham, who had sacked both Jose Mourhino and Marco Bielsa in the past two seasons, signalled their own ambitions by appointing Zinedine Zidane. Chelsea had dismissed Frank Lampard in February 2021, replacing him with Turkey boss Senol Gunes, and Rafael Bentitz was now managing Crystal Palace.

A lot was made of the rivalry between myself and Steven Gerrard. We beat Liverpool 2-0 to win the Community Shield and then set out defending our Premier League title. We won eight and drew two of our opening 10 league games, including victories at both Arsenal and Manchester City. It wasn’t that we were playing brilliantly either, we just were solid at the back and seemed able to score in every game. The only blank in that period came in a 0-0 at Chelsea in October. December was a perfect month, including victories over Liverpool (3-0), Brentford (3-0), Southampton and Fulham (both 4-1). We also progressed to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, where we overcame rivals Manchester City 4-2 to set up a final against Liverpool. That final was won 1-0 through a goal by Moussa Dembele, who I considered selling to AC Milan in the summer and in January, but his second season was much improved and by now he had overtaken Martial as our first choice centre forward.

Another player to have an impressive campaign was Mason Greenwood. He put in a string of impressive performances coming in off the right wing, so much so that he kept Sancho out of the side. A natural finisher, he ended the season with 21 goals in all competitions. We wobbled a bit in February and March, drawing at Brentford, losing at home to Norwich and at Anfield against Liverpool. The problem for Liverpool and others was that no other team could put a consistent run together to get close to us. A 2-0 victory at Everton all but sealed the title on 20 April and it was almost fitting that we were crowned champions again three days later due to results elsewhere, despite a 1-3 home defeat to Arsenal.

The club had never won the domestic treble before and we went all the way again in the FA Cup, defeating Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton, Birmingham City, Newcastle and Manchester City (in another semi-final) to reach the final. In Europe we topped a Champions League group featuring Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, before cruising past RB Salzburg in the round of 16. Our quarter-final opponents were Barcelona. We were good value for a 0-0 first leg draw in the Camp Nou and I actually felt we should have nicked it. The second leg was fairly comfortable, though Martial’s brilliant run and finish was the only goal of the tie. Incredibly, we faced Manchester City again in the third Manchester Derby cup semi-final of the season. The first leg was at the Etihad Stadium and first half goals from Martial and Fernandes put us in command before a long range effort from Rashford put us 3-0 up. City fought back with goals from Kai Havertz and Sergio Aguero and an Aguero penalty levelled it up at 3-3. We avoided any repeat in the second leg, goals from Skriniar, Martial and Sancho completed a 6-3 aggregate victory and set up a final against Gerrard’s Liverpool.

Before the two cup finals we completed our league programme with victories against Tottenham, City (again) and Watford, and I took the chance to select the likes Stevanovic, Teden Mengi and Hannibal Mejbri. We eventually finished with a club record 95 points. The FA Cup final against Arsenal was comfortable after Rashford took advantage of some poor defending to give us the lead after three minutes. He scored the crucial second just after the hour and Fernandes made it 3-0 with five minutes left. We had retained the FA Cup, winning it for a record 14th time. The Allianz Arena in Munich was the setting for the Champions League final against Liverpool, a dream final for neutrals but one for which defeat was unthinkable. In truth we were not at our best and Liverpool had better chances to score, recording more shots on target. I’d selected Greenwood ahead of Sancho but Sancho replaced him after 70 minutes and as Liverpool pressed for a winner in stoppage time we won the ball in defence and got the ball out to him on the right, his deep cross found Rashford on the left wing and he cut inside and drilled home the winning goal. We had won the lot, eclipsing even the achievement of the great 1999 team. Where could we possibly go from here?

[lee82gx]

Just signed Matias Vina in early season 2. (20/21) This is the first time I got in a tussle with the obnoxious neighbours. They usurped me at the last minute with him, we had a contract agreed, I paid a handsome 5mil / year contract for him, and at the last day of transfer deadline, City came in with 9mil / year contract. This was just after they freaking signed Harry Kane for 82M!!!. Tottenham didn't even replied my request if it was below 100M. I loaded up an earlier save (is save scumming allowed here lol?), and decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. Waited to the last 2 days and lodged a bid of around 30M which I knew would be enough, and snapped him up on 9mil / year as a regular starter.

Now I have buyer's remorse.

Is there a good way to recoup some money for Luke Shaw, but without strengthening local teams? 

[Chapman7]

On 28/09/2020 at 11:37, warlock said:

I love Garner but I like him as DLP in the DM spot. If I use him to replace Pogba it'll mean quite a bit of tactical rejigging, but definitely something to think about.

How I tend to use Garner have thrown him on as a Mezzela too which he did score from 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

How I tend to use Garner have thrown him on as a Mezzela

Yes, I've used him in a variety of roles in CM, but DLP in the DM slot is one of my favourite roles , with 433dm wide probably my most-used formation. So Garner and Fred are natural in that position, and Fred is a decent rotation option as Mez or a more attacking playmaker. Between Pogba, Bruno, VDB, Fred, Garner and McT you have a lot of flexibility in that midfield.

[Dong21]

2020-2021: Season Preview

At Manchester United we all know we have a plethora of quality players and pockets full of money to sign more of them. What I find interesting, and the reason I keep an eye on this thread, is seeing the different approaches we all take to developing our players and spending our budget. I thought, therefore, I would provide an update on how I have shaped my squad going into the second season. Season 1, which I last wrote about here back in August, ended with us finishing 2nd just three points behind Arsenal, but having also thrashed Arsenal 4-0 in the Europa League. We weren't far off from where I want us to be, but there were certainly key areas I wanted to improve. I went through the squad in a methodical fashion, analysing our recruitment needs.

Goalkeepers

David De Gea played more times in the first season than any other player, and he had a really strong campaign. My long term plans are to try and give the returning Henderson the chance to become first choice, but De Gea isn't ready to give up the number one spot just yet. Romero deputised for De Gea at the end of the season, after the Spaniard picked up an injury, and he delivered 7 clean sheets in 11 games (including the Europa League Final). This put him firmly in the shop window and I was happy to accept £11m from Juventus, especially as Henderson is a ready-made replacement. I decided that home-grown Joel Periera was a sufficient third choice 'keeper for the season ahead and I even renewed his contract.

Full Backs

Right back was a position I was very happy with and had no intention to do any business. Wan-Bissaka had a great season, including providing 10 assists, and Dalot had also done very well. Dalot only played 19 times and his form suggested he should get more opportunities, but AWB was just too good to drop.

Williams had been my first choice left back in the first season and he had performed admirably, but I knew this was an area I needed to improve upon. I was pleased to acquire my first choice target Alex Grimaldo for £30m. Shaw had done okay when called upon but, as in real life, he was often injured and therefore a liability. I tried to sell him but nobody would take him. In the end I loaned him to Cagliari on transfer deadline day.

Centre Backs

All United fans know that we are carrying a lot of deadwood at centre back, so one of my big aims going into the summer was to get them off the books. After the frustration of him rejecting West Ham, Smalling eventually agreed to join Guangzhou Evergrande. I quickly became a fan of the Chinese side, as they also bid for the unsettled Lindelof, again for a very good fee. West Ham, continued their hunt for a CB, this time being successful and acquiring Jones. Fosu-Mensah was loaned to Sheff Weds. Despite trying, I was unable to find a buyer for Bailly so he remains at the club.

I considered splashing the cash on a top class CB, but in the end I decided I wanted to prioritise giving the opportunity to Tuanzabe, who after a strong first season was now rated as the best defender at the club by my staff. I signified this commitment by tying him down to a new five year contract. Rather than adding a top class 4th CB alongside Tuanzabe, Maguire and Demirel, I went for a player with potential and signed Swiss 18 year old Leonida Sterigou, beating Inter and Dortmund to his signature.

My centre backs barely ever scored in the first season, so I spent some time working on set piece routines and it has already started to work at the start of the second season, with more headers being scored from corners after we began targeting the six yard box.

Centre Midfield

Going into the second season, I effectively only had three first team central midfield players. Pogba was our star man in the first season, getting an average rating of 7.76 and providing 11 assists from a deep lying position. McTominay also had a great campaign, scoring 8 goals, getting 7 assists and winning the Europa League Player of the Season. Despite only being 16, Bellingham performed wonderfully, playing in 48 matches (starting 29) and providing 5 goals and 5 assists. I rejected a £119m bid from PSG for Pogba, and luckily this did not unsettle him.

Arturo Vidal had been a useful stop-gap on loan but I had no intentions of making that deal permanent. A top class central midfielder was my number one priority and I was delighted to be able to bring in Sandro Tonali for just £37.5m. I decided Garner, Levitt and McCann could all do with more experience so sent them all on loan but kept Mejbri at the club with the intention of giving him sporadic appearances as I have long-term aspirations to make him a mainstay in my team.

Attacking Midfield

Bruno Fernandes had a solid first season, with 5 goals and 10 assists. I did build my team around him though, with Pogba pushed deeper to allow him to shine, so I probably did expect more from him. I'll be expecting even more returns from him in the season ahead. James Rodriguez was available on a free and was willing to accept a back up role. I decided not to do this deal though, as it would hamper the development of Angel Gomes (remember him?) who prior to getting injured was having a great season with 9 goals in just 14 starts.

Wingers

Sancho had a very good first season on right wing, getting 10 goals and 10 assists. He would probably get more if I made him an inside forward but that may be a little aggressive with Rashford operating in that role on the left hand side.

Similar to with centre backs, I knew I had a selection of wingers who were surplus to requirements. This proved to be quite a challenge for two players. Dan James rejected contracts at Wolves and Bournemouth after £30m deals were agreed. I could not get my head round him turning them down, but it worked out okay as he eventually agreed to move to Spurs (who were surprisingly interested), for only a little bit less. Likewise Lingard rejected £20m moves to two Chinese sides and it was looking like he couldn't be shifted, until he eventually moved to Milan. I loaned out Chong and Doku to get more game time.

Somewhat surprisingly, I decided to keep Sanchez as a squad option. I had read the difficulties others have had in getting him out the door, so I decided to go down the route of renewing his contract - reducing his was from £350k p/w to £150k p/w. I may look to sell him in January or the end of the season, when I'm hoping his lower wages make him more appealing to buyers.

Forwards

Martial had a phenomenal season, scoring 36 goals, along with 8 assists. Rashford was also great, scoring 28 goals and getting 9 assists, primarily cutting in from the left wing. I decided I actively didn't want to sign a new first choice striker as I wanted to keep on developing the pair. Mid-way through the transfer window, after I had made my three main signings, I still had £128m in my budget and contemplated activating Haaland's £65m release fee - I stuck to my guns though and thought of my objectives for this save which was to develop the players already at the club.

Young Mexican forward Macias has bags of potential but couldn't get a look in last season so was loaned to Bournemouth where hopefully he'll get a lot of Premier League action. To add strength in depth to the wing / inside forward roles, I brought Memphis back to Old Trafford, activating his £35m release clause. Experienced Olivier Giroud was brought in on a free as emergency cover for the centre-forward position. Certainly an upgrade on Ighalo. Finally, young Louie Barry (once of Barcelona) was signed as 'one for the future'.

The transfer window closed and I still had £120m sitting in the bank that I had chose not to spend. We have only the 4th highest wage bill in the division. In previous years I would have definitely spent the surplus budget, but for this save I have a clear focus on how I want to manage and I am happy with the improvements I have made to the squad.

I made one further signing after the transfer window closed, triggering the £14.25m release fee in the contract of Sparta Prague wonderkid winger Adam Hlozek. He will arrive January 1st.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Dong21

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Dong21 said:

different approaches we all take to developing our players and spending our budget

Interesting walkthrough your thought process, and a very different approach to most. If I've followed correctly, you only have Depay, Sancho and Sanches covering both wing positions with Rashford and Martial as first-choice strikers, yes? Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you. 

[Dong21]

@warlock You had me a bit worried for a moment there that I was going into the season a bit under strength, and then I realised that I completely forgot to mention that I still have Greenwood (how could I forget him? ) who I will be looking to give more opportunities. He only mustered 4 goals and 4 assists in 40 appearances (19 starts) in our first season, so I'm hoping for him to be a bit more clinical. Effectively we have seven players (Martial, Rashford, Sancho, Greenwood, Memphis, Sanchez and Giroud) covering three positions, and then we have players like Bellingham, Gomes and Mejbri who could comfortably slot in on the wings if required, so I think we should have enough to see us through.

2020-2021: Part 1

The season started with a shorter pre-season than usual due to EURO 2020. In fact I had to field a mixture of youths and squad players in a surprising win over Bayern as so many players were missing. France had beaten England in the Euro's Final with Pogba, Martial, Henderson, Tuanzabe, Maguire and Rashford all featuring. Rashford ended up the top goalscorer of the competition and Pogba was named in the Dream Team.

On the eve of the Premier League campaign Fernandes was ruled out injured for a month and Martial picked up a knock which meant he couldn't play. Frustratingly, De Gea had been called up as an overage player for Spain's Olympic team so was also unavailable. My worries about not being ready were soon allayed though as we beat Leicester 5-0 on the opening day. We were disappointed to then lose 3-0 to Liverpool in the European Super Cup. We had 16 shots to their 12, suggesting we weren't as bad as the scoreline, but clearly we were not clinical enough. We put this result behind us though and won our next three games, once again scoring 5 goals in each.

Martial was once again ruled out injured, this time for a month, after the Norwich game, but we did not miss him due to the scintillating form of Rashford. The young Mancunian scored 10 goals in 4 games and was rightly named the PL Player of the Month for August. New signings Grimaldo, Tonali (PL Young Player of the Month) and Memphis were all excelling at the start of their United careers.

Our 6-1 win away at Stamford Bridge stands out to me as a hallmark victory, not just because of the margin of victory against a direct opponent, but because three of the goals were headers from corners, something I had put a lot of effort into working on in pre-season. Greenwood was the match winner when we faced our feeder side Derby in the League Cup.

The low point of the season so far came when we lost to Man City at the Etihad. After failing to qualify Europe they had sold Sterling, Jesus, Stones, B. Silva, Gundogan and Otamendi (De Bruyne, Sane and Douglas Costa had all wanted to leave too but were too expensive) and I saw them as there for the taking. Unfortunately they scored a counter attack goal and then an injury time free kick and it just wasn't to be. The goal Fernandes did score was voted PL Goal of the Month. We doubled down on the disappointment of the City defeat by also losing to Fenerbache. I gave Henderson his Champions League debut, although he wasn't to blame - Martial and Greenwood fired blanks despite us dominating.

The month of October was plain sailing, as we scored 24 goals in 6 games. Our defence is still a little leaky but that is mainly due to the attacking style of football I am looking to play. Grimaldo and Tuanzabe were both injured by Burnley (typical) which ruled them out of the Atletico game. This meant Bailly came in for a very rare start and he turned out to be the hero as he started the scoring off for us. Martial had been out of sorts after spells of injuries and Rashford had started to make the centre forward position his own - a winner against Atletí and a hat-trick against Everton a week later gives me hope that he is back on track. Since the Atletico game, Demiral has come in to deputise for Tuanzabe (he had previously been out for 7 weeks with a toe injury) and his form has been terrific. A hat-trick of assist, from centre back, against Bournemouth, was a particular highlight. We had been trailing Arsenal in the table all season but the win against Wolves was coupled with them drawing against Bournemouth and this saw us overtake them into first place.

Rashford once again won PL Player of the Month, in October. He is on 17 goals in just 12 games. Just as pleasing was that young Gomes won Young PL Player of the Month. The whole team is in good form and goals and assists are being shared throughout the team. Prior to getting injured, Grimaldo had delivered 8 assists in 10 games from left back, proving he was certainly an upgrade in that position.  

[warlock]

9 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

I think we should have enough to see us through

Well, 25 goals from your opening 6 games - and 47 from 11 league matches - suggests you might be OK 

[Gee_Simpson]

Wow great start @Dong21 What role are you using Rashford in for him to get 17 goals in 12 games? 

[MatthewS17]

Just had my first 10.0 rating. 

Martial hit 5 goals in the first 19 minutes as I beat Real Madrid 7-1 in the Champions League group stage. 

And here I was wondering if it would be better to replace him with Kane or Haaland. 

[thim1993]

Looking ahead to fm 21 utd is looking a really interesting prospect in terms of young players.

Goalkeeper wise we have Henderson for the long term and be interesting to see how lobar develops as he could become a good back up. With laird and Brandon as well as AWB and telles you have full backs covered for years whilst at centre back you have axel mengi and possibly kampwala depending on how good the game makes his potential

in midfield with garner and levitt there are options and I expect a boost for Galbraith too whilst Hannibal is the Jewell waiting in the wings. There could be room to sign a younger ball winner to replace matic if you want to push garner further forward

then for the wingers and attackers there are so many options. Diallo will be a wonderkid for sure and pellistri and then from the academy you have shoretire and forson Who look incredible as well as new signing garnacho and hugill added to an already young attack

certainly a case to be made for doing a utd save in which no first team signings are required for the foreseeable if you are able to develop the youngsters 

 

[Dong21]

I agree @thim1993 - although our first team recruitment left a lot to be desired this summer, our youth team acquisitions have been impressive.  Adding these prospects to the likes of Mejbri, Mengi, Garner and Chong, there is a lot for us to be excited about as United managers on FM21.

8 hours ago, Gee_Simpson said:

Wow great start @Dong21 What role are you using Rashford in for him to get 17 goals in 12 games? 

Thanks @Gee_Simpson! I have been playing him as an advanced forward at the front of a 4-2-3-1. Now Martial is back from injury and starting to score in the cups for me, I might move Rashford back to the inside forward position on the left wing. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Dong21

[thim1993]

45 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

I agree @thim1993 - although our first team recruitment left a lot to be desired this summer, our youth team acquisitions have been impressive.  Adding these prospects to the likes of Mejbri, Mengi, Garner and Chong, there is a lot for us to be excited about as United managers on FM21.

 

Even forgot about the lad McNeill we signed from city. I agree the first team recruitment has not been good but it is nice to see some proper investment in the academy

[BigV]

1 hour ago, thim1993 said:

Looking ahead to fm 21 utd is looking a really interesting prospect in terms of young players.

Pellestri could really take that RW spot, he seems to have great attributes to start with.

The fulback we bought from madrid is a 5* potential so its promising with the new signings and the ones you've mentioned.

Im more excited by diallo and mengi, both will have huge upgrades surely. 

[Chapman7]

4 hours ago, BigV said:

Pellestri could really take that RW spot, he seems to have great attributes to start with.

The fulback we bought from madrid is a 5* potential so its promising with the new signings and the ones you've mentioned.

Im more excited by diallo and mengi, both will have huge upgrades surely. 

Pellestri looks decent on 20 and he'd barely played if any before when starting a new game so like to hope what he will be like having played more since. 

Forgotten who the Madrid full back name is so haven't checked them out on 20.

Diallo I also will hope to have had a upgrade and Mengi too and hopefully will get his chance to showcase his skills in few matches throughout the season 

[Gee_Simpson]

8 hours ago, MatthewS17 said:

Martial hit 5 goals in the first 19 minutes as I beat Real Madrid 7-1

Crazy! 

You still using him as a CF (A) or have you went back to AF?

My thinking for the 4231 I'm preparing for FM21 is to most likely use CF (A) or maybe PF (A) in most games as I feel the CF (A) will work better against sides who sit back as he roams and drops deeper than a more advanced striker like the AF or Poacher. Then against teams who are on the same level as me or slightly stronger, I'll use AF because they will leave space in behind which the AF can exploit. I'm a tactical noob but I think my idea makes sense? 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Gee_Simpson

[MatthewS17]

It could work. A Deep Lying Forward on Attack could also be effective against low blocks. 

I've persisted with the CF role. I did a lot of shipping and changing of roles early in the season, but although I was winning, every result seemed like a fight. So I reverted back to what made me seemingly invincible the season before and it's cracked on again. 

 

Not sure how effective the CF would be in a 4-2-3-1 though. 

 

[Lemonis]

Hello guys, I really dislike de gea and want to sell him but no one wants due to the big salary I suppose.Anyone had a similar problem? I'm only 6 months into the 1st season, but I really dislike him, damn

[MatthewS17]

Decided to break my wage bill for Ronaldo to come in on a free(Not Really) as a squad player for 400k and some massive bonuses for no reason other than vibes. 

 

Meanwhile, the rest of my squad are still underpaid for as long as I can help it. 

[Dong21]

2020-2021: Part 2

The month of November kicked off badly as we fell to defeat against Atletico. Both of their goals were tap ins after long range shots rebounded off the posts, but we clearly didn't offer enough up front to be too hard done by. The draw with Everton showed one of the consequences of using a fairly small squad, as both Fernandes (out for 7 weeks) and Memphis (just a knock) pulled up with injuries and had to be taken off. 

Things got back on track after the international break. A fun fact about the break is that Henderson played in goal for me in a 6-1 win against Carlisle in the EFL Trophy and then the next day also played 90 minutes in an England win against Ukraine. Brandon Williams scored a screamer against Sheff Utd and was unlucky not to win Goal of the Month.

December, on the whole, was a very positive month but with one obvious lowlight. Starting with the positives; We beat Spurs despite resting fatigued Rashford, Martial and Sancho, with Greenwood playing the starring role (a result which saw Mourinho get sacked). We thrashed Fenerbache in the Champions League, again with Greenwood on form (this saw us finish 2nd in our group). We knocked Man City out the League Cup with a 90th minute winner. Finally, we beat our hated rivals Liverpool on a special Boxing Day which saw us leapfrog them into 2nd in the League. The negative, of course, was the Arsenal result. This was our chance to make ground on the leaders but, despite matching their 17 shots, we were a shambles in defence. The Watford game was also poor, but Williams was sent off on 30 minutes so we did play as 10 men for an hour.

In my last update I talked about the poor form of Martial - well with 7 goals in 5 to end the year, he was certainly back. Angel Gomes, Jeremy Doku (on loan at Brondby), Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Merih Demirel (eliminating his £45m release fee) were all rewarded with new 4 year contracts for their form. Greenwood was named PL Young Player of the Month and Pogba was named in the World Team of the Year. There was some bad news though, as the year ended, as we received one of the poorer Brexit outcomes where everyone in the EU needs a permit.

January was an extremely busy month. Given the fixture congestion, I was delighted to have won eight out of nine games, scoring 30 goals in the process. It's just such a shame the one defeat was against Liverpool. 

New signing, wonderkid winger Hlozek, got off to a great start scoring in both his first FA Cup and League games. We thrashed Southampton 7-0 on aggregate to set up a League Cup Final against Wolves. We matched this score, but in just one game, against City, of all teams. Perhaps the most enjoyable game of my managerial spell. Vengeance for the real life 6-1 defeat that I was unfortunately in attendance at Old Trafford for several years ago! I made 9 changes after the City win and still beat Burnley 5-0. This rounded off a week in which 8 of my players were named in the Team of the Week. We ended the month with a win against Norwich in which we were losing 2-1 at 82 minutes and went on to win 5-2.

Going into the final few months of the season we trail Arsenal by two points. Our form has been good and we are scoring a great number of goals, but our Achilles heel is that we seem to roll over when we take on our direct rivals. Hopefully this is something we can overcome at the business end of the season.

Martial has gone from out-of-form to having scored a total of 25 goals by the end of January. Rashford continues to have a great season with 22 goals and 10 assists. My secret weapon is Grimaldo who has delivered a whopping 16 assists from left back. But my MVP continues to be Pogba who has an average match rating of 7.80. I've rotated the team a lot, as after 39 games the most any player has played is 28 games (Rashford).

My activity in the January transfer window was very minimal. I sold Bailly, who was surplus to requirements, to Shenzen for £29m. Sanchez rejected a £20m move also to Shenzen, but I was able to clear him out later in the window when he moved to Rehne for £16.5m. His replacement was ready-made as Hlozek arrived January 1st. The only other signing came on deadline day came when I decided to add a bit of experience to the squad when I signed Sergio Busquets on loan, for 70% of his weekly wage and no fee. I'm hoping he may be able to make a difference in these big games against our rivals. City spent £163m in January, whilst I closed the window with £120m in the bank; I'm happy to keep doing things my way to see where it takes me.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Dong21

[pizzachips]

cant wait for the fm21 thread. United going to be my first and long term save

[warlock]

4 hours ago, Dong21 said:

I'm hoping he may be able to make a difference in these big games against our rivals

Which could be a big difference! You're obviously not struggling for goals . Hope you can push on for the remainder of the season.