[FM 20] Reviving Leipzig's Forgotten Footballing Past

[haier_fm]

I've always enjoyed anything that is football tactics related...

A long time lurker here on the forums, I am a sucker for unique stories and experiences that I tend to find often here (the members of this community are absolute experts at doing that!). After reading  @13th Man's adventure in Livorno and @SixPointer's recent save with Odd BK (I'll also link my other inspirations below for you guys to enjoy reading), I decided to have a go at writing my own story too, just for a bit of fun. I've been a passionate FM player since FMC 2015 and enjoyed playing each iteration of the game ever since. The thing is though, apart from taking Kaiserslautern to the Bundesliga, Lyon to their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years and Arsenal win the PL without losing a game all season, I never really had a remarkable long term save in the lower leagues in quite a while. I wanted to scratch an itch and fall in love with a save again. 

So about now is the right time to introduce my team that I'll take on an odyssey through to the top (hopefully) !

 

 

BSG Chemie Leipzig

Brief History

BSG Chemie Leipzig is the modern day successor to the original club of the same name mainly formed in the 1950's, during the GDR era of German football. They were a result of a merger between Leutzsch, SG Lindenau-Hafen, SG Lindenau-Aue, SG Leipzig-Mitte, and SG Böhlitz-Ehrenberg which created ZSG Industrie Leipzig. The club got its current name shortly afterwards in 1950. Chemie was dissolved in 1954 and then reinstated back again in 1963. They had relative mixed success throughout its existence during the GDR, winning the Oberliga (the East German equivalent to the Bundesliga) twice in 1951 and 1964. Generally a mid-table or sometimes yo-yo club, Chemie, just like all the other East German sides, suffered a steep decline after German reunification in 1990. The name Chemie was dropped in favour of FC Sachsen Leipzig. This was the case until Sachsen folded in 2011, prompting a rebirth of the Chemie name, albeit in the 12th tier of German football. They now reside in the 4th tier, Regionaliga Nordost. Sharing a fierce rivalry with Lok Leipzig, the two clubs produce a fiery atmosphere whenever they meet. Their rivalry goes way back to postwar Germany, during the Soviet occupation years. Their fans represent the left-wing side of Leipzig, although not as extreme as the St. Pauli fans. This is a club with pride and a rich history. Their glory days may be long gone, but I am here to set things straight and revive Leipzig's Footballing Past!

You can also find a very useful article about the club here too! https://fromboothferrytogermany.com/2018/07/01/leipzig-football-clubs/

Why Chemie?

I definitely loved managing in Germany after the success of my Kaiserslautern save. However, I wanted a bit more of a challenge while managing in the lower leagues. I stumbled upon Chemie after stumbling upon this video by Copa 90. 

 

 

I was close to picking Lok Leipzig (their history is equally as amazing), but due to their links to right-wing politics, I decided to give Chemie a go instead. Their fans are aligned more with the left-wing, and I actually like the idea of doing something a bit like what St. Pauli are doing currently. The main aim is to progress through the leagues and topple the cash-rich, cross-city giants Red Bull, eventually. Considering the club culture and ethos already present at the club, I will generally look to spend less than I sell (unless if I really have to overspend). I want to play expressive and liberal football, in order to provide entertainment to the Chemie faithful. I feel this style of play represents what the Chemie name is all about nowadays, and I'll generally look to implement this as best as possible. (The tactics and style of play will be covered in the next update)

The database I'll be using to access the German Lower Leagues: https://www.meistertrainerforum.de/index.php/topic,27373.0.html 

   

 

This is my first overall post and thread on this forum so overall feedback and support will be much appreciated! 

Thank you

P.S. As promised, here are just some of my inspirations for starting this whole project. All of these were a great read!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[john1]

Good luck  

[13th Man]

Sounds like a fun save, and I’m glad to have helped pull a fellow lurker out of hiding! It’s added a lot of depth to my own enjoyment to write my save up, and I’m guessing it’ll be the same for you.

That said, you stole my idea for my next save!!! I’d been thinking of doing one in Germany, specifically in the former GDR, and Leipzig was among my shortlists of cities with hated Red Bull as a perfect villain to strive to topple!

Oh well, I’ll just have to live vicariously through your posts…(and I’m still nowhere near done with Livorno anyway.)
 

[SixPointer]

Sounds like a great save idea! Glad to have given you some inspiration! I feel this has a great long term feel to it as well. Best of luck 

[deltablue]

Good luck with this.

[haier_fm]

14 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Sounds like a fun save, and I’m glad to have helped pull a fellow lurker out of hiding! It’s added a lot of depth to my own enjoyment to write my save up, and I’m guessing it’ll be the same for you.

That said, you stole my idea for my next save!!! I’d been thinking of doing one in Germany, specifically in the former GDR, and Leipzig was among my shortlists of cities with hated Red Bull as a perfect villain to strive to topple!

Oh well, I’ll just have to live vicariously through your posts…(and I’m still nowhere near done with Livorno anyway.)
 

Yeah, Eastern Germany is quite a gold mine when it comes to clubs with rich histories. Berlin Dynamo, Dynamo Dresden, Carl Zeiss Jena, Stahl Brandenburg etc. There are plenty of other options too!  

2 hours ago, deltablue said:

Good luck with this.

 

11 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Sounds like a great save idea! Glad to have given you some inspiration! I feel this has a great long term feel to it as well. Best of luck 

 

16 hours ago, john1 said:

Good luck  

Thank you! 

[haier_fm]

Start of Pre-Season

The Stadium

Alfred-Kunze Sportpark, home to Chemie Leipzig, was built in 1915 and has a capacity of almost 5,000. I can just imagine the Chemie ultras packing the stands in their numbers, roaring their chants under the beat of their drum. Interesting to note: according to Wikipedia, it is also considered to be the home of Leipzig's American Football Team. I guess the manager will be paying a visit to watch American Football on his free days. By the way, speaking of the manager....

The Manager

Petr Havlicek is a Plzen-born Czech man. Him and his parents moved into Leipzig when he was 14, due to family reasons. Petr enjoyed a rather quiet, if an un-stellar career, rocking around teams in the lower leagues of Germany before cutting his career as winger short at a tender age of 24 due to a genetic problem with his left knee. Devastated, he moved into the working world by attending and graduating from the Leipzig University with a Physics and Mathematics degree. He followed this up with successful stints as an accountant and a banker until the age of 39, at a time when he lost all passion in his work. It turned out he had a change of heart towards football and realised that football is where his life lied. Using his savings and multiple investments from his well-off brother, he used these to gain coaching badges up to the Continental A License. 

The nationality and the name were just generated using a random generator until I found a combination that I was satisfied with. The appearance, too, was mostly done by randomising the face but adding a few small touches afterwards.

    

Club Vision

Not much here I can argue about really. After seeing the quality of the squad, I feel like that is a fair expectation for us to finish mid-table. However, I believe that we do have a slim chance of going up to the 3.Liga, especially if Havlicek plays his cards right and builds a decent little plucky team. I do want to experience the life in the lower leagues for a bit but not to an extent where it could stunt our progress and momentum.

Finances

For a Semi-Professional side, to be in the positives come the start of a new season is a big plus, even if I have no room to maneuver with my wage and transfer budget. If I want to sign someone this window, I definitely need to sell first. We don't have any sponsors yet unfortunately but on the plus side, we don't have any debt to pay off either.  Our main income will most likely be from either our cup run in the Pokal (but for that I need to win the regional cup (I find this quite interesting)) or our gate receipts. 

Squad

The total number of players in the squad seems good enough for this league, especially with the even spread of the current abilities. I do prefer to keep my squads light though and may look to ship some players out in the near future. Our best players are Benjamin Bellot (former RB Leipzig backup goalkeeper), Stefan Karau (imagine him to be the German lower league version of Tony Adams), Benjamin Schmidt (assume he is Karau's CB partner), Max Kiessler (one of the more exciting young players Chemie have at their disposal) and Tommy Kind (your typical Target Man, no more, no less). I'll cover them more in depth in the next update. By that time, I'll have my tactics and set up figured out and ready to roll for hopefully our first set of games after the frendlies.

[13th Man]

Curious to see how you line up. Seems like a squad with options in terms of formations and styles - at least with only the assistant reports to go by.

[haier_fm]

On 12/06/2021 at 19:51, 13th Man said:

Curious to see how you line up. Seems like a squad with options in terms of formations and styles - at least with only the assistant reports to go by.

Well Havlicek had assessed his players further while having his favourite Leipziger beer with his assistant manager. His side seems to be pretty balanced when comparing Chemie to the rest of the league. Coming up with a sensible plan, utilising his squad's strengths is something that is engraved in his mind.

 

Look out for the next update very soon to see how he got on...

[Hootieleece]

Following.....need more inspiration as well as tactical scouting.....

I follow some of the same careers!

 

[Carambau]

Nice! Good luck with Chemie

[haier_fm]

Tactical Setup

Havlicek, looking at the squad at his disposal, knew Chemie was not a promotion contender team. Far from it, the side appeared to be majorly assembled within the same summer window as he was hired. There needed to be some sort of cohesion in the team as a result. Assistant reports, more or less, indicated the same thing.

 

 

 

Havlicek was in absolute disbelief. How can his defense have the worst tackling in the league? Yes he was inexperienced, yes he didn't have a prior job, but aren't defenders supposed to know how to tackle!? Neither is his side full of pace nor very technical. In short, this was a challenge to make the side from the north Leutzsch district of Leipzig, tick and tick to a point where they could be considered as a force to be reckoned with. Currently, the bookies don't rate them that high, predicted to finish 11th, with a 25-1 chance of winning the league and hence the only single promotion slot available within the league structure. 

Key Players

Havlicker sat down in his chair in his studio appartment, with his assitant's recommendations compiled in a series of booknotes laid out in front of him. They outline the following best players in the team.

   

 

 

 

These players above is what Christian Sobotka (Havlicek's Right Hand Man), outlines as the most important players in the team. Karau and Schmidt seem like a good pairing, however, due to having to field a certain number of U23 players in a matchday squad, he will have to pair either one of them with the younger CBs in the team. Karau seems more like a classic, old-school CB, while Schmidt can be more favoured in a possession based system. 

Kessler is one to watch, as he seems very tasty as an attacker and will for sure be one of the focal points in attack. A very good, young, relatively all-rounded player, Kessler is definitely one to build around for the near future. His skills will be complimented by Tommy Kind, a favourite within the Chemie faithful. A pure target man, he will complement Kessler's ability to cross by finishing the moves off delivered from the wings.

With this in mind, here's how Havlicek plans to set his teams out...

Simplicity - the Art of Football

 

 

 

Considering that Chemie are far from the best team in the league, at least looking from the initial reports, Havlicek decided to go for a pure 442 system (simple and reliable) that can be effective when used smartly and efficiently. As there are teams that are much better and much worse, he set up 3 systems that sensibly offer a response to any team within the league. 

Chemie Settle is reserved for those who are similar to Chemie, and it is the most balanced approach of the three. Havlicek will look to creaate space for Kind to run into by having Petracek drop off and drag the defenders with him. Balls from deep over the opposition will then allow for Kind to run onto those balls, or get into the box for a cross from Kessler. Cvijetkovic is used as an inverted winger to give superiority in the centre against those teams who deploy a 3 man midfield.

Chemie Defend is the more conservative version of the system, with 2 CMs becoming 2 DMs in order to protect the back four against opposition attacks. Once the ball is retrieved, the central players will look to lump it straight forward to Kind, who will knock the ball down to the onrushing forwards. (His role has been changed to TM on Attack duty, with Petracek on Pressing Forward on Attack).

Chemie Attack is the more aggressive version of the three, preferring to seize the ball in the opposition territory and impose themselves within the opponent's half. The higher line of engagement means that the forwards with the wingers higher up will look to apply pressure onto the defenders while the two midfielders and full backs will look to sweep up any loose pass that may arrive from opposition mistakes.

Quick Cheeky Transfer

Havlicek wanted a serious technical player to rotate with the current midfield. It was a struggle to find anyone worth buying in the market until he stumbled upon former player and Chemie academy graduate, Felix Beiersdorf. Seeing his attributes, he signed him on a whim for a free.

With the team set up and the first ever window behind him, Havlicek felt more or less satisfied with how he set up his team. Whether this satisfaction can be transferred into tangible results, we shall see. All we know is, this Chemie side does appear to be ready to fight and be a nasty team to play against.

[Hootieleece]

I am definitely interested in your 4-4-2 and its derivatives....especially because I am trying to breakout of the 4-2-3-1Wide rut.

I did have some success with 3 at the back...(copied from @SixPointer Odd Career)

 

Havlicek was the name of a famous basketball player.....when I was much younger. (He played for the Boston Celtics)

 

[13th Man]

Some nice old fashioned 4-4-2! Makes a lot of sense with the players you have, and I like the look of the three variations - they’re a bit apart TI wide but the roles and duties should make the play fairly similar just with different emphasis. Looking forward to hearing how they all work!

[haier_fm]

20 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I am definitely interested in your 4-4-2 and its derivatives....especially because I am trying to breakout of the 4-2-3-1Wide rut.

I did have some success with 3 at the back...(copied from @SixPointer Odd Career)

 

Havlicek was the name of a famous basketball player.....when I was much younger. (He played for the Boston Celtics)

 

I find the 442 is the most flexible formation on this game to use. Depending on the roles, you can morph it into a 4231 or 433 or into some sort of funky assymetrical tactic...

Oh wow that's interesting to know. I don't really follow basketball but the one team I do support or just like are the Celtics.

17 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Some nice old fashioned 4-4-2! Makes a lot of sense with the players you have, and I like the look of the three variations - they’re a bit apart TI wide but the roles and duties should make the play fairly similar just with different emphasis. Looking forward to hearing how they all work!

Yeah, my thinking was to essentially prepare for what most teams in the league may throw at me. I may want to switch away from a 442 in the distant future, but this seems alright for now.

[haier_fm]

S1: August - September

Things are looking up for the plucky Chemie after the first 7 games. No one had expected them to be a point of Hertha's second team before the season had begun. Far from being the bookies' favourite to even be in such a position, Chemie and Havlicek have worked wonders to pick up 16 out a possible 21 points from the start of the season. Even more surprising is Lok Leipzig's winless run too, with them occupying the foot of the 18 team table. Just a measly 1 point from 7 games and predicted to be one of the stronger teams in the league, surely it has to be a blip, right?

Considering the the quality of the opponents, Havlicek has done well in his first two months out on the touchline. A loss against Hertha's second team was fair, especially with the fact that the gaffer had got his tactics wrong and should've used his Chemie Settle tactic instead of Chemie Defend. Oh well...

The 5-0 win against an amateur Dresdner SC in the regional cup had provided a massive confidence boost for Chemie, as demonstrated by the 5-1 demolition of Halberstadt, a team who are supposed to be lingering around mid-table according to the season preview. If anything is to come by from these season previews, then it is the fact that they seem to be pretty wrong in their predictions and Havlicek's men seems to be defying expectations thus far.

Ironically, despite our lack of ability to even pass the ball relative to the other sides in the league, we have the 5th best possession stats out of the 18 teams, which Havlicek finds quite remarkable. The side were set up to play more hoof-ball rather than Guardiola's tiki-taka, but he'll certainly take being one of the better teams when it comes to keeping the ball.

Chemie have also become the top entertainers of the league, smashing in 15 goals over 7 games (that is over 2 goals a game scored!). Chemie were highly unfancied, if not just a solid mid table team so it remains to be seen if the opponents do adjust accordingly and sit back and counter instead of going all out from the first whistle.

On the defensive front, Havlicek's men only conceded 3 goals so far, but that could be mainly down to the fact that the other sides haven't adjusted to Chemie's tactics yet and the next 10 games would provide a real measurement of how far the side from the north of Leipzig can go in the league. 

It remains to be seen if Chemie can keep this form up, seeing as they are due to face the teams higher up in the league next. If Havlicek's men can come out the other end without a scratch, then it would shape up to be a storming season for the Chemie faithful. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by haier_fm

[Hootieleece]

Congratulations on your start.

Possession is often easy to get high even with players who can't pass.....I even use Pep style tactics with them out of spite. More importantly your finding the back of the net.

My teams tend to keep the ball, but have a hard time scoring....mostly for want of finishing.....

 

[haier_fm]

34 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Congratulations on your start.

Possession is often easy to get high even with players who can't pass.....I even use Pep style tactics with them out of spite. More importantly your finding the back of the net.

My teams tend to keep the ball, but have a hard time scoring....mostly for want of finishing.....

 

These are the wonders of the lower leagues in FM, aren't they?

You can literally press the opposition to death and it is basically a cheat code if done right. Of course I won't be abusing such systems as such. I do press the opposition but I don't use the standard Gegenpress presets for the LoE and LoD, as I don't want to almost scum my way to victory. 

Hmm... have you checked the training drills? Maybe if you adjust the training sessions to attacking patient or attacking direct, maybe then you could see a free scoring side? 

I mean I have a 6'3 Tommy Kind, but it is his strike partner that does all his scoring as he is played off of Kind, who knocks the balls down for him. 

Play to your strengths and try to isolate the weaknesses. That's how I approached it and it seems to be working...

[Hootieleece]

Right now my current side is a Top 3 side that should be trying for promotion with technical skill......problem "Parked Buses" from most of the opposition.

I will be trying to change the style after this season.....if for no other reason than the team can't afford those technical players especially when they miss half the season!

 

[haier_fm]

58 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Right now my current side is a Top 3 side that should be trying for promotion with technical skill......problem "Parked Buses" from most of the opposition.

I will be trying to change the style after this season.....if for no other reason than the team can't afford those technical players especially when they miss half the season!

 

Fair enough, parked buses are quite hard to break down. I had this in my Arsenal save where I used a 433 a-la Wenger. After losing to Sporting as they scored their only shot and their only shot on target in the First Leg of EL, I switched to a Christmas tree with 2 AMs behind a DLF on support duty, and it seemed to work, achieving a resounding 5-0 win at home against the same side. 

Morale of the story is, if the opposition is parking the bus by overloading one side, try to put even more men on that same side using roles or change in formation. Of course it depends on the opposition formation, but my point still stands. Then again I'm no tactic genius.

Identifying the problem using match highlights is definitely one way to see why you may endure a goal drought/goal-shyness when attacking.

[13th Man]

Great start indeed!

On possession - I think that even if your TIs aren’t especially possession friendly in the traditional sense, your roles and duties are set up so that players have good options and choices. That, to me, is the key to possession. Even better when you can keep possession and still get the ball up the field quickly and score goals!

[Carambau]

Well, thats a promising start  

Can I ask which skin you are using?

[haier_fm]

15 minutes ago, Carambau said:

Well, thats a promising start  

Can I ask which skin you are using?

Yes, its the TadTwenty Skin on FM20. I believe he also released another one for the current installment of FM. Very sleek and clean, highly recommend! 

[haier_fm]

Update

"2 months. 2 months! Where in the world has Havlicek gone!?"

Yeah, well...

Apologies for the lack of updates regarding the save...

A mixture of both being burnt out by FM, frustrated by football (thanks Arsenal!) and by just life in general has severely limited my ability to post update on this thread. I took a much needed break from FM for these past couple of weeks.

Fresh and brimming from new ideas, I plan to continue this thread in the very near future (I can't just ditch a save just after starting it, can I? ). 

The save meanwhile, has changed course dramatically since the last monthly update. A lot of changes occurred within the Chemie setup. The next post will hopefully cover from where we left off previously.

So, stay tuned.