FM14: FC Bayern München Thread - King Jupp's Legacy Continues

[flipfold27]

Are you the RIGHT MAN to replace King Jupp?

Do you want to manage a world-class team to conquer the World after a MAGNIFICENT last season treble success ?

If your answer is ABSOLUTELY, YES! then....

- WELCOME TO FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN TEAM THREAD -

FOR FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014

- CLUB INFORMATION -

FULL NAME : Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V.

NICKNAMES : Die Bayern (The Bavarians) Die Roten (The Reds)

NATION : Germany

FOUNDED : 27 February 1900

LEGENDS : Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer , Sepp Maier , Ottmar Hitzfeld , Oliver Kahn, Uli Hoeneß

ICONS : Paul Breitner, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Udo Lattek, Mehmet Scholl,Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Klaus Augenthaler, Giovane Èlber

FAVOURED PERSONNEL : Franck Ribéry, Phillip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller

STADIUM : Allianz - Arena , München

CAPACITY : 71000 (58401 Seated)

YEAR BUILT : 2005

CHAIRMAN : Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

MANAGING DIRECTORS : Karl Hopfner

DIRECTORS : Prof. Dr. Fritz Scherer , Uli Hoeneß , Franz Beckenbauer

DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL : Matthias Sammer

MANAGER : YOU!!!

DERBIES : MünchnerDerby (vs 1860 München)

Nord-Süd-Gipfel Derby (vs HSV & vs Werder Bremen)

Bayern Derby (vs Nürnberg)

Süd Derby (vs Stuttgart)

FIERCE RIVALS : Dortmund, 1860 München

OTHER RIVALS : Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Manchester United,

Nürnberg, Gladbach, Hamburg

FINANCES : Rich

MEDIA PREDICTION : 1st

SQUAD PERSONALITY : Determined

CAPTAIN : Phillip Lahm

VICE CAPTAIN : Bastian Schweinsteiger

CORPORATE FACILITIES : Top corporate facilities

TRAINING FACILITIES : Excellent training facilities

YOUTH FACILITIES : Excellent youth facilities

YOUTH RECRUITMENT : Well established youth recruitment

JUNIOR COACHING : Good junior coaching

STADIUM SPONSOR : 30 year stadium sponsorship deal at £4.22M per season. Ends 2035

TRANSFER BUDGET : £25.35M, £2.12M/week (nonnegotiable) Current Wage - £1,958,105 p/w

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- A BRIEF HISTORY -

PAST FAMOUS MANAGERS : Zlatko Čajkovski, Udo Lattek, Dettmar Cramer, Jupp Heynckes, Franz Beckenbauer, Gio Trappatoni, Ottmar Hitzfeld

HALL OF FAME : (1970s) : Franz Beckenbauer (DF)

Paul Breitner (MF)

Uli Hoeneß (FW)

Sepp Maier (GK)

Gerd Müller (FW)

Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck (DF)

(1980) : Klaus Augenthaler (DF)

Dieter Hoeneß (FW)

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FW)

Roland Wohlfarth (FW)

(1990s) : Stefan Effenberg (MF)

Lothar Matthäus (DF/MF)

(2000s) : Giovane Elber (FW)

Mehmet Scholl (MF)

Oliver Kahn (GK)

HONORS : German Champions

Winner (22) (record): 1931–32, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99,1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012-2013

DFB-Pokal

o Winner (15) (record): 1957, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013

DFB Liga-Pokal

o Winner (6) (record): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007

DFB-Supercup

o Winner (4) (record shared with two other clubs): 1982, 1987, 1990, 2010, 2012

UEFA Champions League/European Cup

o Winner (4): 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013

o Runners-up (4): 1982, 1987, 1999, 2010,2012

European Cup Winners' Cup

o Winner (1): 1967

UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup

o Winner (1): 1996

Intercontinental Cup

o Winner (2): 1976, 2001

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-TEAM SQUAD-

GK:

Manuel Neuer - 27 years old GK is the key squad member. One of the best GK in the world at the moment! A very vital figure during important matches and a reliable penalty spot kicker too!

Tom Starke - 32 years old GK who takes the 2nd spot. His strength is his reflexes. Reliable back-up for Neuer but not for a long-term.

Lukas Raeder - 19 years old young 194cm GK. Good at reflexes but has a poor positioning (7). You should consider loan him out and could be a decent player in the future.

Improvement - This is the area where you need to improve as Starke is not that on the par with Neuer's calibre. Plus,you youngster GKs are not reliable enough yet.

Future Signing - Gladbach Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Leverkusen Bernd Leno who are both 21 years old could be the best second choice after Neuer and very promising German stars too.

- The Great Wall! –

CB:

Dante - 29 years old Brazilian who is a very skillful defender and expertly at marking opponent very tightly. Easily become one of your CBs in the starting eleven.

Jerome Boateng - At age 24, he is one of your best player in the squad. However, he is lack of concentration & work rate which sometimes could affect

your team performance. Can also play as D(RL) & WB®.

Daniel Van Buyten - 35 years old towering Belgium international. Still a reliable player and good backup. His weaknesses are Speed & Acceleration.

Holger Badstuber - 24 years old German international and FC Bayern's youth product. Your star CD in the squad. It's a shame he is injured in the beginning of the season for 9 to 10 months.

Jan Kirchoff - A new addition in the squad. 22 years old DC/DM joined this club from Mainz for free. A very promising player in the making.

Improvement - There is no urgency to sign new CD as you have enough depth at this department. However, by signing one star CD would be a nice move to add more depth.

Youth Prospect - Stefan Hager. 18 years old Austrian currently in your reserve team.

Future Signing -Leverkusen's Toprak could be the best next prospect for your team.

-The BEST CD For Your Team! Too Bad He Is Injured!-

LB :

Phillip Lahm - 29 years old Germany and FC Bayern Captain Marvel. A very loyal servant to the club and decisive fullback with a great talent. He could employ both Left and Right slot naturally. Untouchable!

David Alaba - 21 years old Austrian international who is already becomes one of the leading stars in Bundesliga and Europe. Keep him no matter what! Play him as a Left Back. He can also play as M(LC) too.

Diego Contento - 23 years old from FC Bayern's youth product. One of your future prospect. Speed is his best features.

Improvement - Since Phillip Lahm would certainly takes both LB & RB role and Alaba takes LB role, it is very clear that you have enough room for this position.

Future Prospect - Diego Contento.

Future Signing - Hertha BSC 20 years old, Nico Schulz

-A Legend in the Making-

RB :

Since Lahm is certainly your first choice for RB slot, another alternative is Rafinha, 26 years old Brazilian. Not as good as Lahm but a reliable replacement.

Improvement - This is another area that you might want to invest for. Besides Rafinha you could put Boateng to fit this role.

Youth Prospect - Rankovic and Schmitz from your reserve team can be trained to become good players in the future.

Future Signing - Chelsea Caesar Azpilicueta ladbach's Jantschke might be worth to try for.

-The Treble Captain-

DMC & MC :

Bastian Schweinsteiger - Besides Lahm, he is also a loyal player to the club. 28 years-old who is the club Vice Captain is a world-class MC & DM and your key

player in the squad too.A very good team player and could be at your team for years to come.

Javi Martinez - 24 years old Spanish international who sits perfectly in DM position as an Anchor Man. He too could be employed as a good CB. No doubt he is one of your key players.

Thiago - 22 years old Spanish playmaker. Signed from FC Barcelona for £17m. So skillful and talented player. Definitely an excellent signing.

Toni Kroos - 23 years old playmaker. His passing ability is a main threat to the opposition. He is definitely your first choice to play him as your MC or even AMC

.A very technical player.

Improvement - There are no sudden urge to improve this area since both DM & MC positions are being covered well by world-class players.

Future Prospect - FC Bayern Reserve Team player, Pierre-Emile Højberg. A similar player like Toni Kroos. Guide and make him as a world-class player in the future!

Future Signing - You can try to buy 20 years old Granit Xhaka from Gladbach & Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04 or trigger buy back clause for Emre Can from Leverkusen for £6.25m

- The Midfield Maestro -

- A Complete Midfielder in the Team -

-Super-Talented -

WINGERS & AMC :

Franck Ribéry - European Player of the 2012-2013 Season.Worldwide flamboyant French Left Winger. Very skillful and master at dribbling. It's a BIG SIN to let him go since Bayern's color is in his blood now. Play him as your Inside Forward Winger and he'll show you why he is a world-class player. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING!

Arjen Robben - The savior during Champions League Final match. A world-class Right Winger. He is a very skillful and technical player and also able to do magical things while on the pitch. However, he is easily to get injured due to his weak physical attributes.Play him as your Inside Forward Winger with a support role.

Xherdan Shaqiri - 21 years old Switzerland winger who came from FC Basel for £10.25M is a very hot prospect for your team and able to fit in the shoes of Rib & Rob if either

one of them getting injured. With the right training and tutor, he could easily become your future asset. Besr operates at right flank.

Thomas Müller - A tireless and very hard-working midfielder. Although in the game it stated that he is best to play as AMR & AMC, but I do believe that this man is equally dangerous when you assigned him as your Target Man and of course, he's going to have a very bright future in years to come and certainly you'll regret if you let him go!

Mario Götze - Germany super-talented intelligent playmaker. At age of 21, he is considered as one of the best young stars in the business nowadays. Bought from fierce rival, Dortmund for £31.5m. Easily fit as your lone-AMC in the squad. You will not want to SELL him!

Improvemet - There are no sudden urge to improve this area except maybe you would like to get younger Winger or AMC to be the future replacement for Robbéry.

Future Prospect - FC Bayern U23 Mitchell Weiser (Labelled as could be the next Mario Basler!)

Future Signing - Leonardo Bittencourt who is labelled as next Ozil!

- European Best Player -

- The Hero -

-Welcome!-

FORWARDS:

Mario Mandzukic - 27 years old Croatian who arrived from Wolfsburg for £11.25M. A very good striker when it come to challenge for headers. Play him as Advanced Forward. Easily becomes your first choice at front.

Claudio Pizarro - He is currently 34 years old but still a reliable backup striker for your team. Somehow he is slow at speed and acceleration.

Improvement - I strongly suggest you to SIGN A STRIKER as you'll need to consider to replace aging Pizarro after a season and you have ample budget to do so.

Future prospect - Patrcik Weihrauch from your reserve squad could be the next best thing.

Future Signing - Lewandowski from Dortmund would be a GREAT addition to your squad

-A Lethal Goal Poacher -

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-FORMATION & TACTICS-

I'm going to brief you about the tactical style that could help you when you're playing as FC Bayern manager.

I've been playing as FC Bayern manager since the days of CM until now and the best tactic to play is by using 4-2-3-1 formation.(IMO). Below are the screenshots whic I captured from my last year thread as I still use these formations till now.

4-2-3-1 FORMATION

4-2-3-1 DEEP FORMATION

4-3-3 FORMATION

Well guys, I would not elaborate more on the tactical side since it's up to you to determine your own style but my advice is to let them play with possession football, attacking minded team, wide width and use Target Man (Mandzukic would be the best choice).

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- STAFF GUIDE -

Coach

I have signed this legendary footballer, Thomas Häßler as my Coach.

Coach

I've signed him as my Coach too! Ulf Kirsten

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-SO WHY YOU SHOULD START A SAVE AS FC BAYERN MANAGER? -

New chapter starts as you need to start fresh with what magnificent King Jupp Heynckes did last season. You have won treble and now you are on verge becoming the best club in the world.

Can you defend all 3 titles? Can you lead this world-class team to become World's Best Club? With a lot of hot prospects across the country and one of the best league

in Europe, I guess this year FM 14 save as FC Bayern would be a very tough challenge for you all out there since this club hates to lose.

Before I end this thread (for the moment!) I would like to say Thank You to all you who read this thread and hopefully, it could trigger your interest to play as one of the best

clubs in the world. Well guys,have fun and just reply me if you have questions to ask! HAVE FUN MANAGING FC BAYERN MUNICH!

MIA SAN MIA

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[mkabas]

Great thread man!!!! Going to start a save with Bayern!!!! Always like to play with them!!!!

[flipfold27]

LOL!I know you would mkabas! Start fresh ya!

[mkabas]

Finally I have some time to play!!!! Starting a save now and I'll try to post how I'm doing!!!!

[Mattias333]

Great thread chap, get some more info on the staff in there!

Just literally (and quite sadly) spent 3 days over accepting the Bayern job on FM13! Ive built a superb Feyenoord side that easily dominates Holland and even made it but lost in the Champs League final. In the end though I decided that you just cant say no to Munich. They've given me 65million (wouldve been more but the departing Klopp had already spent 25m on one average player lol!), and still got nearly a million to blow on wages out of the 2m wage budget. Squads a little different to current real life one though. Im in 2016 and Robben, Ribery & co have retired. Lahm still hanging in there at 32 years old luckily. Got a job on my hands as Munich have finished 2nd for 3 years straight.

Will certainly be checking back in here!

[bdixon]

Just purchased the game while the girlfriend is away on business, starting a game with Munich right now. Going to try and replicate the way they are playing in real life, shock horror. Cleon thread will be a massive help.

[bdixon]

Will be waiting for data update to start a new game now that Lewandowski signs.

[tomtuck01]

Will be waiting for data update to start a new game now that Lewandowski signs.

It was fairly easy to sign him as it was.

[D0bi]

Will be waiting for data update to start a new game now that Lewandowski signs.

Instead of waiting just pop in to the editor and set it as a future transfer

[bdixon]

It was fairly easy to sign him as it was.

He went to Man City on mine

Instead of waiting just pop in to the editor and set it as a future transfer

Could do but have a lot of other games to entertain me until then. Thanks Steam sale.

[DKB]

Have the board become any easier to deal with, or are they not listening to (almost) none of the request you makes as in FM13?

[flipfold27]

Have the board become any easier to deal with, or are they not listening to (almost) none of the request you makes as in FM13?

What do you mean??

[tomtuck01]

What do you mean??

Pretty self explanatory.

Will they or won't they now accept board requests, such as improving facilities or whatever.

[salkster2102]

Agreed to expand Youth Facilities straight away for me, not tried the Training Facilities as yet which reminds me to do that.

[Dircks]

In my second season now with Bayern - first season won the Bundesliga (29-2-3, 89 points, 80 goals for, 17 against), German Super Cup, German Cup and World Club Championship, but a loss to Man United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Transfers in first season were Davide Santon (£10m), Mahmoud Dahoud (£5m - hasn't really developed any - probably a wasted signing) and Andriy Yarmolenko for £10.5m - as I needed more cover for the often injured Ribery and Robben. I sold Rafinha (£2.7m) and Contento (£1.4m) and sent most of the youngsters on loan. Played a 4-1-4-1 for most of the year, pushing the wingers forward for easier home games.

Mandzukic was stellar, 31 goals in 47 apps with a 7.50 average rating - and Boateng, playing in the center of defense with Dante, had an outstanding season as well. The usual suspects Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Muller and Kroos all performed at high levels as well.

Shaqiri had a good season on the right, but shot from distance way too much for me. I am playing on FM classic, so I couldn't try and have him unlearn his 'shoots from distance' ppm - which made it easy to sell him for £26m when Man United came calling in the offseason. I took that money plus the £30 million from the board and brought in Julian Brandt (£17.5m), Alexander Mitrovic (£19m), Shkodran Mustafi (£8m) and Eder Balanta (£8.25m) - I loaned Balanta back to River for the season to get one more year of regular playing time - then I will look to play him in the Anchor Man role, as Javi Martinez is too good with the ball to do the dirty work there and I'm not getting the best out of him there - Jan Kirchoff has been doing very well in that role lately.

I've come out of the gates firing as I've won my first five league games quite handily.

I'm having trouble finding a place for Gotze - I don't have an AMC in my tactic, so I've tried him up front on his own as a false nine, and in the center in the CM attacking role, but Mandzukic, Kroos and Thiago have all outperformed him and he can't seem to hit a good run of form, so lately he's been sitting on the bench.

So my lineup looks like this right now:

GK: Neuer

FBs: Lahm/Santon

CBd: Badstuber/Boateng

CBd: Dante/Mustafi

FBa: Alaba/Santon

AMd: Kirchoff/Martinez

Wa: Robben/Brandt

CMa: Kroos/Thiago/Gotze

Cms: Schweinsteiger/Thiago

Wa: Ribery/Yarmalenko

F9: Mandzukic/Mitrovic

I plug Muller in at the advanced wings at home, sometimes up front, sometimes he comes on as a sub for one of the wings - another player I can't find a place for - such an embarrassment of riches on this team.

Hojbjerg is progressing nicely, he's on loan at Porto and getting regular first team playing time, as is Weiser at Koln.

The Champions League is my one true goal, as I think the league should come fairly easily this season.

[D0bi]

I've just started a save with Bayern and having a similar problem to you, Dircks; I look at a player and go "They look amazing" but then I look back at my own team and realise that the squad is already ridiculously good. I'm tempted to buy Balanta, just because of how good he can become, it'll probably clear the way for someone like van Buyten to leave (although I'll probably keep him until Badstuber is back).

Long term I want to sign Hummels back to Bayern and I've already promoted Hojbjerg and Weiser to the first team where they'll get as many games as possible. The amount of talent all over the pitch is scary. I'm keeping Pizarro this season but he'll be behind Mandzukic and Muller this season and I'll make the predictable Lewandowski signing next season and he can replace Pizarro.

I'm testing out a couple of "different tactics" and I've decided to train Javi Martinez to play Sweeper (Libero) as I've always wanted to utilise that role and he seems to have all the attributes needed.

Currently 3-1 up against Thun in my first friendly, Mueller with all three.

[D0bi]

Got to love how little Eder Balanta asks for in terms of wages. He's become my first First-Team signing of the save for £6.5m (Total of £7.5m including Agent fees) on this contract:

Got him tied down for an initial 5 years and another 3 years on top of that, which is the defence sorted for the next few years. Also signed a regen Right Back from Karlsruhe who could turn out alright.

Managed to scrap a nervy win against Dortmund on Penalties in the Super Cup after a 0-0 draw. I didn't realise they didn't play extra time and came close to subbing off a tired Robben and Ribery to bring on Shakiri and Kroos - thank God I didn't as Ribery hit the winning penalty.

[john1]

Got to love how little Eder Balanta asks for in terms of wages. He's become my first First-Team signing of the save for £6.5m (Total of £7.5m including Agent fees) on this contract:

Got him tied down for an initial 5 years and another 3 years on top of that, which is the defence sorted for the next few years. Also signed a regen Right Back from Karlsruhe who could turn out alright.

Managed to scrap a nervy win against Dortmund on Penalties in the Super Cup after a 0-0 draw. I didn't realise they didn't play extra time and came close to subbing off a tired Robben and Ribery to bring on Shakiri and Kroos - thank God I didn't as Ribery hit the winning penalty.

Even if he gets 15% increase on wages every year

Good luck with Bayern

[D0bi]

Even if he gets 15% increase on wages every year

Good luck with Bayern

I'm Bayern, I can handle an extra ~£2500 a week for a top-class defender Over the course of 8 years even with a 15% rise he'll only be on around £45-50k p/w which is loose change for Bayern.

[Dircks]

2nd season - Champions of Everything! Bundesliga, German Super Cup, German Cup and Champions League!

I beat Celtic - yes Celtic - in the final 4-2 at the Olympiastadion. Celtic beat Barcelona in the Semis, Lyon in the QF and Porto in the knockout round. Crazy.

Robben did not want to stay for some reason and took less money to go to Barcelona.

I'm switching to a 4-4-2 - will probably sell Javi Martinez and try to find a right winger to rotate with Julian Brandt, as Weiser isn't really developing on loan.

Mia San Mia

[Dircks]

Season 4 is now in the books - here's how it's gone:

4 German Bundesliga titles

2 Euro Champions League Titles - 14/15 and 16/17

4 German Cup titles

3 German Super Cups

1 World Club Championship

Heading into season 5 - the squad looks like this (4-4-1-1)

GK: Neuer/Koval

RB: Lahm/Boateng

CB: Badstuber/Balanta/Mustafi/Ginter

LB: Santon/Alaba

RW: Reus/Kempf (regen)

CM: Schweinsteiger/Kroos/Hojbjerg/Schnitzer (regen)

LW: Yarmolenko/Rebic

AMC: Gotze/Mollers (regen)

CF: Mitrovic/T.Werner

Notable exits are J. Martinez, Dante and Thiago to PSG, Kirchoff to Arsenal, Robben to Barcelona, Muller to Gladbach and Ribery to Monaco.

Lots of solid looking youth on the way - the guys listed above are all first team ready.

This is one of the longest careers I've done without getting bored or looking for another team - so fun to watch them play - and buying mostly German (Reus, Werner) has been rewarding as well.

[superscunk]

Great opening!

I've started my third save with Bayern, using the first two saves to get familiar with all the new features of FM14 (having skipped FM13).

Unfortunately, i'm not capable of creating/finding a decent tactic that gets the best out of Robbery.

Then i also noticed that whatever tactic i tried, a defensive-minded midfielder seems to be a must-have. Unfortunately, Bayern's squad only offers Martinez for this role.

I'm really getting frustrated. I have reloaded several times against the first Chelsea match, but have not managed to win no matter what tactic, formation, players, etc. I even had a match with 0 shots haha

Would someone be so kind as to share a tactic for the starting squad?

I generally play without first transfer window...

[Jonny2J]

Just started a game with Bayern and got off to a flyer in the Bundesliga and my next game is the Supercup.

I'm playing a 4-3-3 and dominating possession massively; my only issue seems to be Muller. Can't seem to fit him into my team at all.

Where is everybody else playing him?

[D0bi]

Just started a game with Bayern and got off to a flyer in the Bundesliga and my next game is the Supercup.

I'm playing a 4-3-3 and dominating possession massively; my only issue seems to be Muller. Can't seem to fit him into my team at all.

Where is everybody else playing him?

Mueller can play literally anywhere, that's his main attraction for me. The wings are usually untouchable (Robben/Ribbery either side) so he usually fights with Gotze/Kroos for the AMC role, although Kroos can be played in central midfield.

He was best as a Shadow Striker in the AMC role I found, behind Mandzukic.

[DKB]

Started a Bayern game after the new update

Sold Robben as I usually do as he is on high wages and injury prone, Ribery wouldn't be sold due to his love of the club - can't argue with that really so he has been given an ok to stay (and not a bad backup to have) - Rafinha, Dante and Shaqiri also left

Had to break the Bayern transfer policy and fix the defense so Doria and Balanta has been brought in (Dortmund wouldn't sell Hummels) + Stones (Everton) have been brought in a loan as backup to the right back position

Marco Reus has joined as a natural replacement for Robben - Younger, fitter and have great potential + German (in every sense a Bayern players) and as his backup at left wing, another fit German player with great potential, Kevin Volland of Hoffenheim) have been brought in

Next player to enter the picture is... a young, fit German player with great potential, Timo Werner of Stuttgart, will provide cover for Mandzukic in season one and Lewandowski in season two, then we'll to wait and see what he is up to in season three

Last player that were signed in the summer transferwindow was... another young, fit, German player with great potential, Niklas Süle of Hoffenheim, who will be back up in the start to the Doria-Balanta partnership, but hopefully will be a first team regular in a season or two

So take away the need to fix the defense, then I'm pretty happy that I've followed the Bayern tradition and signed young German players with great potential

Hummels will be the great target in the next couple of transferwindows togher with Goretzka of Schalke, but I would like to replace Martinez with one of the Bender brothers - Lars went to Man U in the transferwindow, so not sure which of them there will be the easiest to get my hands on. Schmelzer of Dortmund wouldn't be a bad backup for Alaba, but won't spend to much money on him

Team as it is...

GK) Neuer (Starke)

DR) Lahm (Stones)

DL) Alaba (Contento)

DC) Doria (van Buyten)

DC) Balanta (Süle)

DM) Martinez (Boateng)

MC) Schweinsteiger (Müller)

MC) Kroos (Thiago, Højbjerg)

RW) Götze (Ribery)

LW) Reus (Volland)

FC) Mandzukic (Werner)

[DKB]

Sebastian Rode's Bosman to Bayern haven't been added in the update :-( only just found out when I checked the Dortmund squad and saw that they had signed him

[Cedrik]

He is not that amazing anyway, better options than him I think.

[DKB]

He is not that amazing anyway, better options than him I think.

I know that there are better players than him out there, BUT he would be free, he is young, he is German and he would be a nice squad player to have would have fittet two of my positions nicely as backup

[DKB]

Started a Bayern game after the new update

Sold Robben as I usually do as he is on high wages and injury prone, Ribery wouldn't be sold due to his love of the club - can't argue with that really so he has been given an ok to stay (and not a bad backup to have) - Rafinha, Dante and Shaqiri also left

Had to break the Bayern transfer policy and fix the defense so Doria and Balanta has been brought in (Dortmund wouldn't sell Hummels) + Stones (Everton) have been brought in a loan as backup to the right back position

Marco Reus has joined as a natural replacement for Robben - Younger, fitter and have great potential + German (in every sense a Bayern players) and as his backup at left wing, another fit German player with great potential, Kevin Volland of Hoffenheim) have been brought in

Next player to enter the picture is... a young, fit German player with great potential, Timo Werner of Stuttgart, will provide cover for Mandzukic in season one and Lewandowski in season two, then we'll to wait and see what he is up to in season three

Last player that were signed in the summer transferwindow was... another young, fit, German player with great potential, Niklas Süle of Hoffenheim, who will be back up in the start to the Doria-Balanta partnership, but hopefully will be a first team regular in a season or two

So take away the need to fix the defense, then I'm pretty happy that I've followed the Bayern tradition and signed young German players with great potential

Hummels will be the great target in the next couple of transferwindows togher with Goretzka of Schalke, but I would like to replace Martinez with one of the Bender brothers - Lars went to Man U in the transferwindow, so not sure which of them there will be the easiest to get my hands on. Schmelzer of Dortmund wouldn't be a bad backup for Alaba, but won't spend to much money on him

Team as it is...

GK) Neuer (Starke)

DR) Lahm (Stones)

DL) Alaba (Contento)

DC) Doria (van Buyten)

DC) Balanta (Süle)

DM) Martinez (Boateng)

MC) Schweinsteiger (Müller)

MC) Kroos (Thiago, Højbjerg)

RW) Götze (Ribery)

LW) Reus (Volland)

FC) Mandzukic (Werner)

Half way through the first season and "4" titles in the bag already

The German Super Cup were won 1-0 against Dortmund, by a goal from Kroos

The European Super Cup were won 3-0 after extra time against Chelsea, by a brace from Müller and a goal from Mandzukic

The Club World Championship were won 1-0 against Atletico Mineiro after extra time by a goal from Schweini

And we were "Herbstmeister" even though the game don't reward you with the title, It was won with 7 points and two games in the hand down to Hertha in 2nd place (Dortmund in 3rd and Schalke in 4th positions)

Also won the CL Group infront of Oil rich Man City, Oil rich PSG and Real Sociedad

Not sure that Lewandowski can force Mandzukic out of the starting formation, when the Pole arrives - 19 goals so far from the Croat in 19(+1) games

[bdixon]

I started a new save at the weekend with the new transfer update, now I always turn off first window transfers to allow me to assess the squad, defence could be improved so Balanta will be arriving in Jan for 7m. Now I will more than likely move Martinez back to CB and have Schweinsteiger in my DMC role.

Tactic wise I play a 4-1-4-1, now this is something I obsess over trying to replicate Bayern in real life. So I have went with a 4-1-4-1 balanced contol tactic, I'm at work at the moment so can't provide screenshots.

[DKB]

Half way through the first season and "4" titles in the bag already

The German Super Cup were won 1-0 against Dortmund, by a goal from Kroos

The European Super Cup were won 3-0 after extra time against Chelsea, by a brace from Müller and a goal from Mandzukic

The Club World Championship were won 1-0 against Atletico Mineiro after extra time by a goal from Schweini

And we were "Herbstmeister" even though the game don't reward you with the title, It was won with 7 points and two games in the hand down to Hertha in 2nd place (Dortmund in 3rd and Schalke in 4th positions)

Also won the CL Group infront of Oil rich Man City, Oil rich PSG and Real Sociedad

Not sure that Lewandowski can force Mandzukic out of the starting formation, when the Pole arrives - 19 goals so far from the Croat in 19(+1) games

Asked for some extra money in the January transferwindow and got it

Leon Goretzka is now a Bayern Munich player, and Schalke is £25m richer - Jussi Jääskeläinen joined on loan for the rest of the season after Neuer were injured for 6 weeks, and not a bad 3rd keeper to have in your squad

[Rakennusmestari]

What role have you all been giving Mandzukic? He's played so far as my lone forward (target man), and has only 2 goals from 9 games IIRC.

[Stevenr1]

Hey guys, great thread.

Any advice on what roles too give my players on a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-2-3-1.

I seem too be loosing goals every match.

[Rakennusmestari]

Help me out here, please. Pizarro's had an excellent season for me as Mandzukic's backup, he's got 11(16) games, and 18 goals (!) in those. Average rating is 7.39, and he's scored every 73 minutes. But I'm still undecided whether to offer him an extension, as Lewandowski is coming, and I plan on keeping Mandzu. Also, Pizarro is pretty old, and his already slow speed has been declining. Should I just calmly let the veteran go?

[D0bi]

What are his wage demands? At a club like Bayern there's certainly no harm keeping him in the team "just in case" if his wage demands are reasonable.

[gholliday87]

Just starting my first Bayern game...I'm going to try and get as many German players as possible...I'm quite looking forward to this challenge. I normally get players from all around the world so I've never tried to sign exclusivly from one country!

[danm2501]

Just started as Bayern. First thing, as always was to set up a tactic. Decided I'd utilise a false nine, with a Regista, attacking wing-backs and then use Ribery and Robben as inside forwards. I then decided to sell a couple of players, with the following moving on:

Mario Mandzukic to Chelsea - £16.75m

Dante to Man City - £7.75m

Diego Contento to Hoffenheim - £7.5m

And then so far, I've signed Cesar Azpilicueta for £23m, and have signed an agreement to sign Timo Werner at the end of the season for £22m.

So with that set-up, my starting XI is:

---------------------------Neuer---------------------------

--Azpilicueta------Boateng----------Badstuber-------Alaba----

---------------------------Lahm------------------------------

-----------------Martinez---------Schweinsteiger---------------

---Robben-----------------------------------Ribery-------------

-----------------------Lewandowski----------------------------

Cant find space for Gotze initially, but he'll probably come in and do a job as an inside forward when needed in the first season, or if Lewandowski gets injured, I may switch to a 4-6-0 tactic, with Gotze as a trequartista at AMC. I'm pretty happy with the line-up though, very strong in most areas, especially in midfield. I like the balance of the midfield too, with Lahm sitting deep, Martinez as a ball winner, and Schweinsteiger/Kroos/Thiago given freedom to roam. I'm also re-training Hojbjerg to DMC Regista, and having him tutored by Lahm, as we could do with a solid back-up just in case the skipper gets injured. Hojbjerg seemed to make the most sense, as he already has most of the stats required, and is young enough to adapt to a new position. Be interesting to see how he goes playing there. I'm going to have a browse for a young centre back as well, as I'm not sure Badstuber, Boateng and Van Buyten are going to be good enough long term. Reckon I'll drop some cash on either Balanta, or Doria, but we'll see, might be able to sign someone German, like Howedes.

[Bigpapa42]

For a German center back who is young and solid, Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim looks worth a shot. I've seen Bayern sign him in a few games and he seems to perform to a high level.

That's pricey for Werner. I signed him at the start of a recent Dortmunt game for about 8 or 10m. Might have been before Stuttgart could get him signed to a new contact...?

[danm2501]

Signed Doria, but will take a look at Sule, could do with another young centre back!

Yeah, is fairly pricey. He gets so good a couple of seasons in though, that I'm sure he'll be money well spent. Not exactly tight on money with Bayern, so I'm not too fussed.

Tactic is working superbly. Beat Dortmund in the Super Cup 2-1, and since then I've played 5 won 5, with 4 league wins. Yet to concede in the league either, which is positive. With injuries to Robben, Schweinsteiger and Gotze I'm veyr happy with how we've played. Lahm has been ridiculously awesome playing as a regista. Average rating of 7.88, 3 assists in 4 games, 91% passing accuracy, can't get much better than that!

[NLH]

You might want to look at Jonathan Tah from HSV if you are looking for a young German CB, could be a good back up for Boateng

[danm2501]

Just given Tah a scout. Looks very promising, 4* potential according to the scouts, will be giving him a look in January, thanks.

Just agreed to sign Raheem Sterling in January. Been looking for a long term replacement for Robben, and Sterling was immense playing as an inside forward in my Liverpool and England saves. Robben won't last much longer, and I might end up cashing in on him, been ridiculously injury prone so far. Shaqiri has actually been the most effective winger. Got 6 goals in 11, 3 assists, and an average rating of 7.37. Also been awesome in the Champions League, with 3 goals in 4, and a 7.80 average rating. Lahm has been player of the season so far though, been so good as a regista. 91% passing accuracy, average rating of 7.54, 5 assists. He's been an absolute gun!

[Ryknow]

Surprised Matthias Ginter wasn't mentioned. Talented young German CB who's versatile. He signed for Bayern in my save where he stayed until retirement.

[danm2501]

Had an interesting summer transfer window. Had quite a big clear-out, and made one major signing. So, out went:

Kirchoff to Schalke - 5m

Rafinha to Leverkusen - 4m

Robben to Monaco - 16m

Lewandowski to Real Madrid - 42m

And in came:

Mattia Di Sciglio - 16.5m

Samuel Umtiti - 21m

Gabriel Barbosa - 8m

And the marquee signing of the summer, was a £63m deal for Gareth Bale. With Robben leaving, I wanted a like for like replacement, and with Sterling not developing as I hoped he would yet, Bale seemed perfect. He'll play as an AMR set to Inside Forward, be in charge of free-kicks, encouraged to dribble and shoot, and given freedom to roam. I want him to become a key member of the squad, and contribute with plenty of goals and assists.

With Lewandowski gone, I will either be operating with Muller, Werner or Barbosa up top in a False Nine or Advanced Forward position, or with a 4-6-0 tactic with Mario Gotze sitting in an AMC position. One question though, how can I go about getting the best out of Gotze? I've not had much from him thus far. I've not given him a huge amount of opportunities, but when he has played, he's been pretty poor. I've tried him as an Enganche, but would you say a Trequartista would suit him better? Or maybe even a Shadow Striker?

[Georgik]

In my third season i sold Lewa to Real for 60 mil, and played Muller as an Advanced Forward, he scored 41 goals in the league, and overall 54 in 50 matches, really terrific.

My formation is a 4-2-3-1 with Reus AMR, Gotze AMC and Draxler AML behind Muller, Gotze is a Trequartista, while Draxler and Reus IF. Kroos and Schweini the midfield pairing.

[danm2501]

Love Thomas Muller. His mental stats are so good for a 25 year old, and I've had big success with him as a False Nine. I have Muller, Werner and Barbosa up top, and seems to be working. A lot of my goals come from the wings though. Xherdan Shaqiri is the best player I've had on FM14, he's so consistent. 9 assists and 7 goals in 11 games, average rating of 7.87. Bale's been awesome too, 11 goals in 13 games, plus 4 assists, average rating of 7.81, been well worth the money!