[FM22] Overhauling SAD Franchise, (completed) and now Portugal. (Portugese edition). (Youth Only)............... Maybe!

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2042. 

Liga Bwin. Porto have only lost 1 game all season so I'm certainly not going to moan about losing to them, but losing 3-0, (might have been 5-0), to the 2nd bottom side who are scoring less than a goal a game just isn't acceptable. It was the 1st shocking performance for quite a while. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. We've added more silverware to the trophy cabinet and in a Nation such as Portugal this really is a big deal. That's 2 trophies in 3 seasons now and I think we're starting to be competitive with the bog boys. The league is still a stretch, but 2 trophies in 3 years against such powerful opposition really is decent. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2042. Youth Intake Day. 

This is classed as another "Golden Generation", but we only have 1 "Elite Talent", so I'm not sure how "Golden" they are. 

Squad by PA. 1x 5.0 player makes it a decent intake, but I'm yet to be convinced. We're really lacking in CA. 

Squad by Actual PA. This is actually better in terms of PA, but the problem is that the CA of many players are a little lacking. If we look at the actual CA column then nobody is rated above 77. It's hard to get players to reach their PA when they are starting with such a low CA. 

(42b) Felizardo (POR) has a CA of 72 and that's workable at least. 
(42d) Poejo (POR) has a CA of 63 and I think that's on the low side and will probably act as a significant barrier to him reaching his PA. 
(42i) Edgar João (POR) (ANG) has a CA of 61 and I think that's on the low side and will probably act as a significant barrier to him reaching his PA. 
(42h) Lyu Hong (CHN) has a CA of 78 and that's workable at least. 
(42e) Crespo (POR) has a CA of 55 and I think that's almost impossible for him to reach his PA from such a low starting point. 
(42a) Salazar (POR) has a CA of 74 and that's workable at least. 
(42f) Sylla (CIV) has a CA of 58 and I think that's almost impossible for him to reach his PA from such a low starting point. 
(42m) Firmino (POR) has a CA of 68 and I think that's on the low side and will probably act as a significant barrier to him reaching his PA. 

To put the above CA's into perspective, here are the top CA's we had of the 2041 intake. 102, 80, 77 & 73. 
To put the above CA's into perspective, here are the top CA's we had of the 2040 intake. 123, 87, 78 & 71.
To put the above CA's into perspective, here are the top CA's we had of the 2039 intake. 81, 80, 78, 77 & 77.
To put the above CA's into perspective, here are the top CA's we had of the 2038 intake. 79 and then we drop down to 67, 64 & 62. 

The players that came through that 2038 intake are now 19 years old, so let's have a look and see how far they have developed. 

(38a) Hartmann (POR) (GER) * came through at 79 CA and he's now at 100 CA. (+21)
(38c) Marchão (POR) came through at 67 CA and he's now at 90 CA. (+23)
(38d) Embalo (GNB) (POR) * came through at 64 CA and he's now at 85 CA. (+21)
(38b) Gaivoto (POR) * came through at 62 CA and he's now at 94 PA. (+32) (Has been playing regularly in Liga 2 this season so development has been accelerated). 

So with our facilities and our coaches and me delegating coaching, that gives you an idea of what our growth might be between 15-19. 

For the 20 year olds of the 2037 intake, this is the situation. For anyone who doesn't play Youth Intake saves like this, you might be surprised by some of the poor development but I promise you it's not a surprise. With so many players at the club, it's possible/likely that there are many many many players in front of some players and they might find their place in even aged group teams blocked initially by older players and then younger players and never really get the opportunity to develop at all. Of course the smart move is to constantly release players, but I choose not to do that because I still have the aged group squads to populate even when the better players are promoted to the senior squad. 

(37d) Pereira (POR) 5'11" * came through the intake at 76 CA and he's now at 95 CA. (+19). 
(37f) Macedo (POR) * came through the intake at 76 CA and he's now at 79 CA. (+3) (He's unambitious). 
(37a) Giovetti. (POR) came through the intake at 66 CA and he's now at 73 CA. (+7). 
(37g) Martins (POR) * came through the intake at 65 PA and he's now at 102 CA. (+37)

For the 21 year olds of the 2036 intake, (yes, I'm on a roll now). 

(36b) Sousa (POR) * came through the intake at 76 CA and he's now at 130 CA. (+54). 
(36d) Cardone (ITA) 6'1" * came through the intake at 74 CA and he's now at 103 CA. (+29).
(36a) Cruz (POR) * came through the intake at 73 CA and he's now at 141 CA. (+68). 
(36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) * came through the intake at 66 CA and he's now at 140 CA. (+74)

For the 22 year olds of the 2035 intake, (I want to show you that the 2036 intake wasn't normal). 

(35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'1" came through the intake at 105 CA and he's now maxed out at 150 CA. (+45)
(35a) Paulo Júnior (POR) * came through the intake at 91 CA and he's now at 153 CA. (+62).
(35c) Nascimento. (POR) came through the intake at 79 CA and he's now at 92 CA. (+13). 
(35e) Sousa. (CPV) (POR) came through the intake at 69 CA and he's now at 85 CA. (+16).

For the 23 year olds of the 2034 intake....

(34a) Ribeiro (POR) came through the intake at 78 CA and he's now at 93 CA. (+15)

I guess what I'm pointing out is that it's not just CA and PA and personality and facilities that develop the player from the starting point to the finishing point. The vital ingredient is game time and the truth is if there are players ahead of him in the pecking order, he just isn't going to develop unless he's lucky enough to go out on loan and get the match experience. The problem with this, (especially back then), is that the players were of such a poor quality that they weren't good enough to go out on loan to Liga 2 and Liga 3 and below simply isn't of a good enough standard for the player to develop in the way in which we would like. 

It's different now in so much as we're now, (in the main), producing players who are good enough to go out and play in Liga 2 after some internal development, and that's the difference between now and then. 

[Jimbokav1971]

NxGn. Mar 2042. 

In 2038 (35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'1" (PA 150) was ranked #2. He was sold to Wolfsburg for £16M. 
In 2039 I don't think we had a player on the list. 
In 2040 (36a) Cruz (POR) * (PA 150) was ranked #1. 
In 2041 (40b) Ramalho (POR) * (PA 156) was ranked #3. 
In 2042 (40b) Ramalho (POR) * (PA 156) is ranked # 8. CA  140 PA 145. 

I don't care where they are ranked, but it 2043 my goal is to have 2 players on the list. 

In competition to us.....

Gil Vicente have the #1 ranked player. 18yo CA 137 PA 158.
Porto have the #9 ranked player. 17yo CA 114 PA 169.
Sporting have the #28 ranked player. 18yo CA 109 PA 131. 
Sporting have the #33 ranked player. 17yo CA 91 PA 125. 
Leixões SC have the #44 ranked player. 18yo CA 94 PA 153. 
Boavista have the #45 ranked player. 18yo CA 104 PA 133
Gil Vicente have the #48 ranked player. 19yo CA 100 PA 137. 

It's all well and good having players at your club on this list, but you need to continue to develop them and keep them if possible. That's where you will really see the benefit. 

We sold (35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'1", but so far we've managed to hang on to (36a) Cruz (POR) *, (40b) Ramalho (POR) * and a batch of youngsters that I think could propel us further if we can just develop a striker of the desired quality. 

This is players at the club sorted by actual PA and I have highlighted 16yo (41a) Gil (POR) * from last season's intake because he's my current project. The 16 year old has already made 20(3) appearances in all competitions and his development has been accelerated as a result. (+9 CA in 1st 12 months). 

17 yo (40a) Sérgio (POR) * has made 16(1) appearances this season +24 CA in the 1st 24 months). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2042. 

Liga Bwin. Both these clubs have been real bogey sides for us in recent seasons, so I'm really happy with our results in the league this month. 

Europa Conference. 

The draw for the Quarter and Semi-Finals have been drawn and I think what it shows is that we have been enormously unlucky to draw Spurs in the 2nd Knockout Round. If we can get past them we will have a hell of a chance of going all the way. 

Spurs were way too strong for us and we were well beaten in the 1st leg and unlucky to lose in the 2nd leg. When you look at their squad it's not really a surprise. They have a whole team of very good players, if not quite stars. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Thebaker]

Looking at the latest youth intake, it might be time to look at your coaches and staff as most of the intake don't seem to have great det, pro or amb which often helps players reach their potential. Not many great personalities.

[Sonic Youth]

Is it possible to see the top 5 or 6 PA youth intake prospects (screenie)?

What’s the squad’s workrate like compared to the top teams in your league? Looks like it’s starting to be watered down.

18 hours ago, Thebaker said:

Looking at the latest youth intake, it might be time to look at your coaches and staff as most of the intake don't seem to have great det, pro or amb which often helps players reach their potential. Not many great personalities.

Beat me to it! 

[Sonic Youth]

The league position is delicately poised, with a good consistent run possibly securing 4th (3rd now starting to eck away).

Pity about drawing Spurs in Europe 

Great work on pipping Sporting to the Cup 

[Jimbokav1971]

23 hours ago, Thebaker said:

Looking at the latest youth intake, it might be time to look at your coaches and staff as most of the intake don't seem to have great det, pro or amb which often helps players reach their potential. Not many great personalities.

You are completely right.  

I think I have personally recruited 1 single staff member in this save so far. I think it was a HoYD a while back, but I'm not positive. 

Part of it is that I wanted to show that the biggest driver of development, (in my opinion), is 1st team exposure at a decent level. I did start to get into this recently but I think I went off on a tangent and then couldn't remember what I was talking about at the start. 

You are right though. The 1st time I get some quite time and don't actually feel like playing I will have a cull of staff and see what I can replace them with. (Just to remind you though, although I'm doing individual and PPM training, I haven't been doing any mentoring). 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Is it possible to see the top 5 or 6 PA youth intake prospects (screenie)?

What’s the squad’s workrate like compared to the top teams in your league? Looks like it’s starting to be watered down.

Beat me to it! 

Did I not do that? I usually do. Sorry. 

Ah, that was the post that I went off on a tangent in the middle and forgot to go back and do it properly. Yes, next time I crank the game up I will post a few of them but they really aren't good. 

Will do some sort of comparison to other teams in the league too. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

The league position is delicately poised, with a good consistent run possibly securing 4th (3rd now starting to eck away).

Pity about drawing Spurs in Europe 

Great work on pipping Sporting to the Cup 

Yep, we're definitely making progress. I don't think we scored a goal against the Bog 3 last season where as we have beat them a few times this season. 

Spurs were very good. 

The cup win was nice. 

[Sonic Youth]

3 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Did I not do that? I usually do. Sorry. 

Ah, that was the post that I went off on a tangent in the middle and forgot to go back and do it properly. Yes, next time I crank the game up I will post a few of them but they really aren't good. 

Will do some sort of comparison to other teams in the league too. 

No problem, or need to apologise. That tangent needed to be said! I was curious though, and especially after you mentioned the ones you think will and won’t reach potential, what they looked like. I was seeing a potential striker who could be one to be included in a future squad if he does develop.

 With regards to work rate, I’m not sure if I’m seeing things, but have been feeling like it’s been gradually degraded each intake, and as it’s one of your DNA (?) skills along with Vision and Determination, wondered. Especially if Ramos has a min release clause (£20M?).

That then brought up a memory of Ben  going through his squad checking out each player to see if coaches commented on their consistency, big games, etc. I think this pops up in the pros/cons too.

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr & May 2042. 

Liga Bwin. Only 1 loss, but 6 points lost because of 3 draws. We finished a creditable 5 and will play in the Europa Cup next season. We only lost 4 league games, (which is brilliant), but we drew 10 which is too many. Not losing is the 1st step though. I wonder if we are close to a a breakthrough season? 

Games against the Big 3 this season. 

Our record against Porto over the course of the save is actually better than I was expecting. We drew 1 and lost 1 in the league this season, but beat them in extra time in the Cup. 

Our record against Benfica is much much worse and just look at that goal difference!  Despite that, we actually did ok against them this season, with a draw and a loss in the league and a win and a loss on penalties in the Cups. 

Our record against Sporting isn't great, but has been much better this season with 2 wins in the league and a win on pens in the Cup. Because momentum is so important in this game, we need to start beating the Big 3 more regularly, (to knock their confidence), or at least avoid defeat, (to avoid a knock to ours). 

Finances. We're secure financially but I really want us to push on and start qualifying for the Champions League. It's likely that we might need to gain a 4th Champions League spot in order for this to happen. Unfortunately, although the Portugese league is ranked 5th by coefficient, there is a bit of a gap between ourselves and Germany.

   

[Jtomsett11]

I feel as though you've established yourself so that even in a 'bad' season or one where you lose a good player you're good enough for European football and you've got players coming through that can keep you where you are. It's another thing entirely to overtake the big 3 plus the other challenging sides but your progress looks slow but steady imo. I'd be interested to see how your young players with potential grew this season; is your average CA on the rise? Is your average PA on the rise? I know attributes and traits, personality and hidden attributes have a huge say on performances but I feel like an overall rise in these is probably needed to challenge for the top 3. Another great save to follow, I've potentially enjoyed it more than your others simply because you may have got to the top league without too much fuss, but winning the thing looks another challenge entirely. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Stats. May 2042. 

I'm not a huge onw for pouring over stats, but especially when I have just a short break from the game, I think it serves to focus the mind again and remind you of your strengths and weaknesses. 

We like to control the ball, but also have pass into space employed. It's interesting to see Porto down at only 50%

Although we are only ranked 16 of 18 teams by total headers won, (suggesting that heading isn't a strength), our Headers won % is actually the 2nd best in the league, (behind VdG), suggesting that although we don't do it very often, we are actually very successful when we do. That's food for thought and suggests that we should actually be more direct. You have to remember that this is a tactic that I originally created at the back end of FM21 for my Barca save, (with lots of small, technical players). It would seem that we're certainly not playing to this area of strength. 

Something else to consider here is that although we are ranked 16 of 18 teams by total headers won, (25j) Grilo (POR) 6'4" * is completely dominant in the air on a personal level and has won FAR more headers than anyone else in the league. 

Our xG is really good. We're trailing Benfica but a bit, but we're 3rd and really close to Porto. The problem is that we're not converting these. Our goals are 22.2 down on our xG. By way of a comparison, Porto are about 20 goals up on their xG. We had the 3rd most shots and shots on target, so the suggestion here is that we're under-performing in forward areas and this supports my thoughts from previous seasons. To sum the whole thing up, our conversion rate is down at 10% and is ranked 11th in the league. 

We're the most fouled team in the league, but we're not winning nearly as many penalties as some of the Big 3. The fouls against us are not really surprising when you look at the number of dribbles made. A really interesting stat is that we have lost possession the 4th least number of times in the league. 

The suggestion here is that we are performing well in advanced areas, but this isn't translating into goals. 

This is a slightly unusual graph, but I think it's like this because of our high defensive line. 

This is something I rarely look at but I'm keen to do so at the moment because (A) I'm in the mood, but also (B), it's useful to show you the reader what's going on in graphics rather than words. I don't have any experience looking at this though so feel free to offer advice here. 

We play with 2 up front, an AF on the left and a DLF/T on the right. I'm considering replacing the DLFT on the right with a F9 because I want more from the players in this role. DLF/T just isn't cutting it. 

So what I'm taking from this is that (1) we need to be more clinical in front of goal, and (2) we're good in the air. I shouldn't be afraid to be more direct. 

[Jimbokav1971]

42 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

I feel as though you've established yourself so that even in a 'bad' season or one where you lose a good player you're good enough for European football and you've got players coming through that can keep you where you are. It's another thing entirely to overtake the big 3 plus the other challenging sides but your progress looks slow but steady imo. I'd be interested to see how your young players with potential grew this season; is your average CA on the rise? Is your average PA on the rise? I know attributes and traits, personality and hidden attributes have a huge say on performances but I feel like an overall rise in these is probably needed to challenge for the top 3. Another great save to follow, I've potentially enjoyed it more than your others simply because you may have got to the top league without too much fuss, but winning the thing looks another challenge entirely. 

I don't track CA/PA on a seasonal basis. I don't like looking at it too much if I'm honest because it spoils the game for me. That being said, I know I updated a little about it earlier in the season, (possibly on Youth Intake day). I really don't like measuring CA/PA rise at the end of a season because I find it just takes too much effort to report on it when all I really want to do is get through to the start of the new season. I don't mind slowing down and going into more detail on Youth Intake Day, and I will do some more tracking when we get there again next season. 

You are correct in that we have now become more established and I think it's highly unlikely that we won't qualify for Europe again. VdG and Braga finished ahead of us this season, but VdG didn't play in Europe at all this season and that's an enormous advantage. Braga got as far as the Europa League 2nd Knockout Round, (before losing to Roma), and Braga are the real deal in terms of competition, (where as I don't expect VdG to be able to replicate their performances again next season. 

You are right in that we need some players to kick on, and in particular I need to develop some strikers beyond the current level of player we have in that area. We seem to be producing loads of creative players but not many finishers of the highest level.

Although I've taken a few breaks recently, the save is far from over and I really agree with you in that it's been enjoyable. despite the lack of success at the top end. I think the next stage will be becoming a Champions League club, (because then it will be easier to keep players from wanting to leave). I think we're a clinical striker away from a big step up. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Finances. Jun 2042. 

I need to negotiate the contract for this player. He's the 1st choice right back at the moment, although we do have a young player coming through with better PA in (41a) Gil (POR) *.

He's still on his initial contract at the moment so 1 season will cost us just over £20,000.

This is the new deal I've just managed to get him to sign. Although he's signed for 5 more years, and insisted on a min fee release clause, I managed to add an expiry date of Nov of this year and increased it slightly to £30M. I have had to pay him £2.7M in a signing on fee, bung his agent £250,000 and the contract itself will cost us almost £1.6M per season before any bonus. 

We've had to do this for a few players recently and I'm becoming just a tiny bit concerned about the club finances. 

The committed spending shown below shows that our wage bill has just jumped from £784k per month to £914k per month, (with a budget of £1.8M), but there are a few more contracts that need renewing too. At some point I need to sell a player for big money I think. 

He's 21 year old now and is contracted for 5 seasons. In 4 years he will be 25 and will have a year left on his contract. Maybe the time will be to sell him then? 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

FIFA World Cup Squads. May 2042. 

Hosted by Germany and defended by France.

[Jimbokav1971]

Poaching, (and not in a good way). Jun 2042. 

I'm pretty sure that this is the 1st player we have had poached, (or poached ourselves), in the save so far. It's a feature I really like and has been conspicuous by it's absence until now. 

It's quite possible that I have missed the messages, but even if I did, I would be able to find the players via the "clauses" section of the Transfer centre, (and there are no players there without nicknames). 

What's surprising is that we have had a player poached by what I perceive to be a smaller club. Don't they have to have a higher reputation than us in order for this to happen? 

It's not even close. We are the 6th highest rated reputation team in Portugal and Tondela are 25th. 

I cam even check the editor. Ours is 7,204 and theirs is 5,337. 

Now it doesn't actually make any difference because the player is poor, (silver PA stars), so isn't going to be good enough to play for our Senior team, but that's not the point. Has the way that poaching works changed? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Coaches. Jun 2042. 

I know @Thebakerand @Sonic Youth(among others), have been on at me to to upgrade our Coaching staff and I'm going to start doing just that. 

Here is the current HoYD, (who I think is the only staff member I have ever appointed in this save). He's been with us since 2038 and although he's produced some good GK's, midfielders and full-backs, He hasn't produced a quality striker so he's leaving. 

In hindsight, it's no real surprise that he hasn't produced a quality striker because he preferred formations are 4231 wide and 4411. Ideally I want someone who prefers 2 or even 3 up front. 

There are a few options for his replacement. 

Tomas Lozano (Res) has the best personalities of those on the shortlist. He likes 442 and 4411 although I'm not sure how either of them fit in with a Catenaccio style. Either way, he's employed by Deportivo Alaves and wants £59k per month, (which is approx double what El Presidente will let me offer him). We would also have to pay approx £0.5M in compensation. He's also Spanish and I was looking for a Portugese. 

Juan Fernando Cordero (Driven) has a decent personality, likes 433 Gegenpress, (better physicals possibly), but is Spanish and can be signed on a free.  I'm not sure about how appointing a foreign HoYD impacts things anymore. On the other hand, the Spanish structure has better quality than the Portugese structure and is of course active, (so could be a blessing in disguise). 

I could go through and dissect the HoYD's below, but I'm signing the bloke above, (or at least I thought I was but he wanted too much money).  

Let's try and sign Bruno Rato (F.Det). Job done. 

It's going to cost £248k to get rid of the old bloke, but that's a price I'm willing to pay. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Rankings. Jun 2042. 

European competition rankings. 

Nation club coefficients. Germany are going to lose 17.571 compared to our 14.000 at the end of this season, so if we perform to the same level as them this season we will close the gap by 3.571 from 5.464 to 1.893 then we will only have to out-perform them by 1.893 points this season to rise above them. Next season our drop will be a whopping 4.096 points less than the German drop, so all we have to do is perform at a level similar to them over the next 2 years and we will rise above them. The obvious problem with that is that they have 1 more team starting in the Champions League Groups stage collecting points, (so not quite as easy as it sounds). 

Qualification places. 

European club rankings. 

[Jimbokav1971]

B Team finally playable. Jun 2042. 

I think our good youngsters, who aren't good enough for the seniors yet, should be plenty good enough to rip up the Campeonato Nacional this season. (At least that's the plan). 

It means I will have to make more of an effort in allocating which player goes to which squad, but I put a fair bit of effort into that last season so.....

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Finances. Jun 2042. 

I need to negotiate the contract for this player. He's the 1st choice right back at the moment, although we do have a young player coming through with better PA in (41a) Gil (POR) *.

He's still on his initial contract at the moment so 1 season will cost us just over £20,000.

This is the new deal I've just managed to get him to sign. Although he's signed for 5 more years, and insisted on a min fee release clause, I managed to add an expiry date of Nov of this year and increased it slightly to £30M. I have had to pay him £2.7M in a signing on fee, bung his agent £250,000 and the contract itself will cost us almost £1.6M per season before any bonus. 

We've had to do this for a few players recently and I'm becoming just a tiny bit concerned about the club finances. 

The committed spending shown below shows that our wage bill has just jumped from £784k per month to £914k per month, (with a budget of £1.8M), but there are a few more contracts that need renewing too. At some point I need to sell a player for big money I think. 

He's 21 year old now and is contracted for 5 seasons. In 4 years he will be 25 and will have a year left on his contract. Maybe the time will be to sell him then? 

Our best striker (32g) Ramos (POR) had been signed to a long term deal on a rubbish wage £20k per month, and he has been moaning about it for ages but I have just been ignoring him. In an effort to really get the most out if him though I have signed him to a new contract on LOADS more money that will cost us £10M over 5 years. My thinking is that he scored 21 league goals in a season 4 years ago, and we're a better team now than we were then so something must be different. If the difference is morale/happiness and I can fix that by signing him to a new contract then so be it. I'm not positive it will work, but what the hell. Let's see if we can get him passed 21 league goals this season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad selection for the 2042/43 season. 

U19 Squad. Everyone who is under 18 and not selected for the Senior Squad or the B Team squad. 

U23 Squad. Everyone who is older than 18 but younger than 23 and not selected for the Senior Squad or B Team squad. 

B Team. Players who are over 23 who haven't gone out on loan, and players who are younger than 23 but who are not deemed a possible Senior player, (they have a "." after their name). This could be because either their CA or PA, (or both), are too low. 

Senior Squad. 

GK. 
(31g) Simões (POR) 6'1"
(36d) Cardone (ITA) 6'1" *

DL. 
(33a) Ramos (STP) (POR) *
(36b) Sousa (POR) *

DR.
(36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) *
(41a) Gil (POR) *

DC. We're really weak here. The 1st 2 players are fine but after that we struggle. 
(25j) Grilo (POR) 6'4" *
(30g) Coelho (POR) 6'4" *
(32a) Gaspar (POR) (ANG) 6'4"
(35f) Azevedo 6'2"
(37d) Pereira (POR) 6'0" *

ML. 
(32c) Tomás (POR) *
(32b) Moucheira (POR)

MR. 
(31d) Pais (POR)
(33h) Justino (POR)

MC. 
(35a) Paulo Júnior (POR) *
(36a) Cruz (POR) *
(40b) Ramalho (POR) *
(40a) Sérgio (POR) 5'7" *

SC. 
(32g) Ramos (POR)
(27a) Mateus (POR)
(39a) Moreira (POR) *
(36e) Pisco (POR) *
(39d) Rebelo (POR) *

[Sonic Youth]

19 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Stats. May 2042. 

I'm not a huge onw for pouring over stats, but especially when I have just a short break from the game, I think it serves to focus the mind again and remind you of your strengths and weaknesses. 

We like to control the ball, but also have pass into space employed. It's interesting to see Porto down at only 50%

Although we are only ranked 16 of 18 teams by total headers won, (suggesting that heading isn't a strength), our Headers won % is actually the 2nd best in the league, (behind VdG), suggesting that although we don't do it very often, we are actually very successful when we do. That's food for thought and suggests that we should actually be more direct. You have to remember that this is a tactic that I originally created at the back end of FM21 for my Barca save, (with lots of small, technical players). It would seem that we're certainly not playing to this area of strength. 

Something else to consider here is that although we are ranked 16 of 18 teams by total headers won, (25j) Grilo (POR) 6'4" * is completely dominant in the air on a personal level and has won FAR more headers than anyone else in the league. 

Our xG is really good. We're trailing Benfica but a bit, but we're 3rd and really close to Porto. The problem is that we're not converting these. Our goals are 22.2 down on our xG. By way of a comparison, Porto are about 20 goals up on their xG. We had the 3rd most shots and shots on target, so the suggestion here is that we're under-performing in forward areas and this supports my thoughts from previous seasons. To sum the whole thing up, our conversion rate is down at 10% and is ranked 11th in the league. 

We're the most fouled team in the league, but we're not winning nearly as many penalties as some of the Big 3. The fouls against us are not really surprising when you look at the number of dribbles made. A really interesting stat is that we have lost possession the 4th least number of times in the league. 

The suggestion here is that we are performing well in advanced areas, but this isn't translating into goals. 

This is a slightly unusual graph, but I think it's like this because of our high defensive line. 

This is something I rarely look at but I'm keen to do so at the moment because (A) I'm in the mood, but also (B), it's useful to show you the reader what's going on in graphics rather than words. I don't have any experience looking at this though so feel free to offer advice here. 

We play with 2 up front, an AF on the left and a DLF/T on the right. I'm considering replacing the DLFT on the right with a F9 because I want more from the players in this role. DLF/T just isn't cutting it. 

So what I'm taking from this is that (1) we need to be more clinical in front of goal, and (2) we're good in the air. I shouldn't be afraid to be more direct. 

Curious about Mateus in the last stats graphs. Are you happy with his output? Looks the most underperforming of the four in the graphs.

Interestingly, Benfica are also as underperforming with their xG too.

Your new HoYD looks a good signing. The others also look like good coaches too 

The B Team turning professional will help with youth development.

Looking forward to seeing your next couple of years of youth intakes 

[Jtomsett11]

20 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I don't track CA/PA on a seasonal basis. I don't like looking at it too much if I'm honest because it spoils the game for me. That being said, I know I updated a little about it earlier in the season, (possibly on Youth Intake day). I really don't like measuring CA/PA rise at the end of a season because I find it just takes too much effort to report on it when all I really want to do is get through to the start of the new season. I don't mind slowing down and going into more detail on Youth Intake Day, and I will do some more tracking when we get there again next season. 

You are correct in that we have now become more established and I think it's highly unlikely that we won't qualify for Europe again. VdG and Braga finished ahead of us this season, but VdG didn't play in Europe at all this season and that's an enormous advantage. Braga got as far as the Europa League 2nd Knockout Round, (before losing to Roma), and Braga are the real deal in terms of competition, (where as I don't expect VdG to be able to replicate their performances again next season. 

You are right in that we need some players to kick on, and in particular I need to develop some strikers beyond the current level of player we have in that area. We seem to be producing loads of creative players but not many finishers of the highest level.

Although I've taken a few breaks recently, the save is far from over and I really agree with you in that it's been enjoyable. despite the lack of success at the top end. I think the next stage will be becoming a Champions League club, (because then it will be easier to keep players from wanting to leave). I think we're a clinical striker away from a big step up. 

Totally understand on CA/PA. I've had it on in the past and try and avoid now as I end up only recruiting 180+ PA players or not using a 150PA youth Player when in reality 150PA can be a top class player with the right attributes. I love tracking long term growth and changes which I've done in my current save through attribute scores and that gives a proxy and satisfies my spreadsheet needs without telling me everything.  

Looking forward to seeing how you do next season!

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Curious about Mateus in the last stats graphs. Are you happy with his output? Looks the most underperforming of the four in the graphs.

Interestingly, Benfica are also as underperforming with their xG too.

Your new HoYD looks a good signing. The others also look like good coaches too 

The B Team turning professional will help with youth development.

Looking forward to seeing your next couple of years of youth intakes 

No, I'm not in the slightest bit happy with Mateus or any of the strikers. That's the point. We're performing as a team that should have us challenging for 2nd. but because of our strikers we're languishing in 4th/5th. 

I like the new HoYD, but I spent about 3-4 hours last night dealing with staff contracts and swapping lots over and sorting players into the correct squads and extending contracts and basically just general admin stuff that I hate, but then the game crashed on me. I'm just loading up now to see how much I lost. I know I saved on the 1st of the month, but think I lost about 3 weeks which will have been most of the work done yesterday. Actually, it's not as bad as I feared because at least the staff have personality nicknames and Bruna Rato (F.Det) is the HoYD so it's not that bad at all. 

I have offered a new contract to (32g) Ramos (POR) so that's not lost either and I have the above squad selection to remind me what I had decided on. The only real issue is all the loans that I had sorted out and the other movement between squads. 

The B Team will definitely help. Not so much this season down in tier 4, but I'm expecting to romp that and once we get into tier 2 it will really help. 

[Sonic Youth]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

No, I'm not in the slightest bit happy with Mateus or any of the strikers. That's the point. We're performing as a team that should have us challenging for 2nd. but because of our strikers we're languishing in 4th/5th.

The way I read those graph stats is: of your four Ramos is your best forward though can be hit and miss, Rebalo links play and seldom gives away possession while Picolo is a good dribbler and less active in shooting (is that what passive shooting means). Mateus I would look for another none forward role or replace if possible. I’d consider switch Ramos and Picolo to direct passing while Rebalo looks ok in his settings just needs more goals (maybe drop deeper into a attacking midfielder carrier role?). Hard to find goals in a youth only challenge when the youth intakes don’t give you that forward leaving the team to find goals somewhere. Hopefully Ramos’s new contract inspires him to become more hitman like! That’s my limited take using those graphs. Not sure I’ve read anything into them that you haven’t already deduced.

Oh, is there a player through an intake with high striker stats that came through as a midfielder/D position (or something else) that could be retrained as a striker? Don’t recall that really happening though.

 

[Sonic Youth]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

the game crashed on me. I'm just loading up now to see how much I lost. I know I saved on the 1st of the month, but think I lost about 3 weeks which will have been most of the work done yesterday. Actually, it's not as bad as I feared

I started with Oh No! And ended with good thing you’ve been writing this up 

Still annoying though 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Totally understand on CA/PA. I've had it on in the past and try and avoid now as I end up only recruiting 180+ PA players or not using a 150PA youth Player when in reality 150PA can be a top class player with the right attributes. I love tracking long term growth and changes which I've done in my current save through attribute scores and that gives a proxy and satisfies my spreadsheet needs without telling me everything.  

Looking forward to seeing how you do next season!

The thing about looking too closely at PA especially is that there is no guarantee that the player will every get to their PA, especially if they start with a low CA or a personality that needs a lot of work. I still regularly see FM players complaining that they have top facilities and bla bla bla but never produce any good youngsters. My suggestion is that they are producing them. They just aren't developing them. 

If I take a look at the squad sorted by PA right now then it shows me this. 

It doesn't actually show me what I want it to show me, so I will include the next page. 

Let's take some random snippets from the above info. 

1. There are only 3 strikers on the 1st page and their ages are 22, 20 & 16. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) * usurped Mateus up front on the right last season, but his CA is only 112 and he will have to go some to hit his PA now. He's decent though and as @Sonic Youthsays I'm not happy with the strikers at all. With that in mind I'm considering a move from DLF to F9 this season, (almost sure it will happen). 

(38d) Embalo (GNB) (POR) * is 20 now and is a player I have struggled to develop. Partly this will because of his Unamb personality, but it's too lazy just to blame that. The other thing is that he just hasn't been good enough, (in terms of CA), to either play for us or be loaned out at a decent level to boost his development. He came through the intake 3 and a half years ago and is still only at 87 CA. At some point I have to decide that he's simply not going to reach the heights that we want him to and I think the only reason I haven't discarded him already is because he is of (GNB) Nationality so I want to try and get him as far as I can. The truth is that I have already failed him and whether you lay this at the door of his personality, his low start CA of 64, the fact that he's in such a competitive important position, or an amalgamation of all 3 then the end result is still the same. He's never going to reach his PA of 139. It just isn't going to happen. Even prioritising the playing time of this player at a young age, and playing him far before he was ready, probably still wouldn't have seen him reach his PA, (but feel free to disagree). I could obviously be doing much more work in mentoring and changing hidden attrivtes. 

(42i) Edgar João (POR) (ANG) is the 3rd striker on the 1st page and although only 16, is probably unlikely to reach his PA of 137. His CA is only 61 and it's just an awful lot of development required. Had he come through at 80+ then it would be a different story. So I'm desperate for strikers and we only have 2 on the 1st page, (ranked by PA), and 2 of the 3 can be ruled out. This bloke doesn't even have an awful personality and I have checked and his Pro is 13, but it's just not enough. He's never going to be good enough to score the goals we need to play in the Champions League. That doesn't mean we don't develop him, (again, because he has a 2nd Nationality), but at the same time I can't afford to waste valuable playing time resources in him that could benefit someone else. Now I'm not making these decision based on his PA. I'm making these decisions based on his CA stars and the "look" of him. He just doesn't look very good. I can't quantify his "look" into a CA, but I can look at him and say "how the hell is he going to play at a decent level?". 

2. If we look at the older players on the 1st page it would appear that we've done quite well. 

23 year old (35a) Paulo Júnior (POR) * is at 155 CA of 177 PA and developing really nicely. 

22 year old (36d) Cardone (ITA) 6'1" * is at 103 CA of 158 PA and although I gave him his chance early, I didn't like his penalty taking ability, (not the attribute), so he came and went and although he will be given more chances, his development has been stunted and needs a boost. I haven't failed him yet, but the clock is ticking. 

26 year old (31g) Simões (POR) 6'1" is at 144 CA of 151 PA and is the reason that Cardone has been stunted. I just prefer him. At some point you just have to stick with the CA that you've got over the PA that you might be able to achieve. 

22 year old (36e) Pisco (POR) * is at 112 CA of 145 PA and will need to develop rapidly over the next couple of years to get close to his PA. As he's 1st choice now it's still possible. 

25 year old (32c) Tomás (POR) * is at 132 CA of 141 PA and that's reasonable if not quite at 100%. 

30 year old (27a) Mateus (POR) is at 129 CA of 139 PA but I think he was maxed out, (not positive), but either way that's reasonable, (despite the fact that he's not producing what we need him to at all). 

25 year old (33a) Ramos (STP) (POR) * is completely maxed out at 137 CA of 137 PA and that's the thing we need to see more of. The thing is though that he made 15 Liga Bwin appearances at the age of 17, and certainly looking at the strikers on the 1st page there is no way they were good enough for that. SO it's like a viscous circle. If they aren't good enough then they can't play, but if they don't play then they won't develop. 

So on the face of it, (looking at the 1st page), I have done a pretty good job of developing everyone who is aged over 21 and has good PA. I wonder if the 2nd page tells the same story.....

27 year old (30a) Bernardino (POR) SELL is at 113 CA of 137 PA. I've failed him. He's never going to make it and last season I loaned him out to Liga 2. 

25 year old (32g) Ramos (POR) is completely maxed out at 134 CA of 134 PA and he's been our best striker even if he hasn't delivered quite what I hoped for. I'm hoping that improved morale as a result of a big new contract will give him the boost he needs to improve his returns. 

25 year old (32a) Gaspar (POR) (ANG) 6'4" is at 113 CA of 133 PA and I've failed him. He's never going to reach his PA. He has never been good enough to play regularly and it's stunted his development. He's a squad player and we need him, but he's been a player who comes in and fills in. 

26 year old (31d) Pais (POR) is completely maxed out at 133 CA of 133 PA and that's the 3rd maxed out player I think. Again, he's been a regular starter in Liga Bwin since he was 17. 

27 year old (30b) Horta (POR) is at 93 CA of 133 PA and I've failed him. A rubbish personality and low starting CA mean that he was always up against it and Liga 2 is his level now and he's not even great there. 

25 year old (33d) Diederich (POR)(LUX) 6'2 is at 114 CA of 132 PA and I've failed him. You can't develop 3 players in the same position at the same time and he has missed out be being below 2 GK's on this list. 

32 year old (25j) Grilo (POR) 6'4" * is at 130 CA of 131 PA but I think it was likely that he was maxed out. 

22 year old (36k) Moreira (POR) is at 94 CA of 126 PA and although there is still time to develop, it looks highly unlikely that he will hit his PA as he isn't 1st choice now. 

26 year old (32e) Soares (POR) * is completely maxed out at 126 CA of 126 PA. 

26 year old (32b) Moucheira (POR) is completely maxed out at 124 CA of 124 PA. 

28 year old (30f) Antunes (POR) * is at 88 CA of 124 PA and I have failed him. 

So the point I'm making here is that while there have been a great many successes in terms of development, there are an even higher number of players who I have failed to develop. This isn't because I'm rubbish at doing so, (or maybe it is),  but because I had to use our limited resources, (in terms of development opportunities), on other players. You can't develop everyone at the optimum level and so tracking "growth" can often me a thankless task that shows up as many failures as successes. 

[Jimbokav1971]

22 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

The way I read those graph stats is: of your four Ramos is your best forward though can be hit and miss, Rebalo links play and seldom gives away possession while Picolo is a good dribbler and less active in shooting (is that what passive shooting means). Mateus I would look for another none forward role or replace if possible. I’d consider switch Ramos and Picolo to direct passing while Rebalo looks ok in his settings just needs more goals (maybe drop deeper into a attacking midfielder carrier role?). Hard to find goals in a youth only challenge when the youth intakes don’t give you that forward leaving the team to find goals somewhere. Hopefully Ramos’s new contract inspires him to become more hitman like! That’s my limited take using those graphs. Not sure I’ve read anything into them that you haven’t already deduced.

Oh, is there a player through an intake with high striker stats that came through as a midfielder/D position (or something else) that could be retrained as a striker? Don’t recall that really happening though.

 

This is everyone who can play at striker. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) is the best we have and he's not bad at all. In fact he's been called up to the Portugese squad for the World Cup. I want more out of him than I've managed in recent seasons, but he's 1st name on the teamsheet basically. 

(27a) Mateus (POR) is a player that I like the look of as a 2nd striker, but for whatever reason it just hasn't been working with him. He's had chance after chance after chance. I've tried him as a both a DLF and as a T, but it hasn't worked. I'm almost sure that I'm going with a F9 this season, (on the right as a 2nd striker), but he still won't be 1st choice. His time has been and gone. 

(30a) Bernardino (POR) SELL can be ignored because I have given up on him. 

(41g) Amaral (POR) * is only 16 but looks like he might have something to offer in the future. 

(40d) Hübener (POR) (GER) is only 18 but German so an interesting one. The problem with him is that although his CA looks decent, he only has 3.0 PA and that translates into 100 PA so he's not got the room to grow. 

(39a) Moreira (POR) * is a strange one in that he looks like a 2nd striker, but he's a lefty rather than a righty. I have set him up to play as a DLF if he plays on the left, but then I want someone playing on the right as a 1st striker, so it creates a problem of partnership requirements that don't really work with the rest of the squad. Despite that, he's a player I like, (a lot), has the best PA on the list, and is starting to hit a CA where he can be involved. I think the smart move however is to loan him out to Liga 2 where he will be able to play every week rather than being a bit-part player for us. 

(39d) Rebelo (POR) * is a more natural left sided AF

(38a) Hartmann (POR) (GER) * is a 2nd German, and like his previous Countryman, he's a left-sided 2nd striker which is not what I want at all. At 20 though he's ok and now needs 1st Team football, but I don't think it's going to be here this season. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) * will be 1st choice 2nd striker to start the season. 

(34a) Ribeiro (POR) is a player that I like in terms of attribute balance, even if he is slightly lacking in both CA and PA. 

(31j) Gomes (GNB) (POR) has scored 118 career league goals but only 1 of them has been in Liga Bwin. 67 of his goals have come for the B Team, although he has scored 1 Cup goal and 1 European goal for us too. Despite that he's never going to play for the Senior squad again. He is however at the World Cup for (GNB).  

(38d) Embalo (GNB) (POR) * is 1 of the 3 strikers I mentioned in a recent post. He's probably a little short of CA and that will have hindered his opportunities and his development. 

(35h) Rebelo (POR) (#2 Rebelo I think), has done well for us in the past, but is well out of the picture now and has surely played his last game for the senior side. 

(30b) Horta (POR) SELL has never scored a senior league goal for us, (although he has scored 2 Cup goals and 1 in Europe for us). He's surely played his last game for us. 

1st choice partnership. (32g) Ramos (POR) and (36e) Pisco (POR) *. 

2nd choice partnership. (39d) Rebelo (POR) * and (27a) Mateus (POR). 

Thoughts on partnerships, sides and roles(duties)?

[Sonic Youth]

Annoyingly lost a post saying how your your last post (above the strikers in team one) changed how I saw some players (age of Mateus and that Pisco looks an inverted winger). Rebelo looks a lesser Ramos. I mentioned that this leaves trying to find goals ftt try om around the team (set pieces, midfield etc). I do though still see Mateus as a midfielder, though think that’s a tough gig to get into and if he’s not making it in now it’s not happening.

Agree with your development and if players will make it or not.

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I started with Oh No! And ended with good thing you’ve been writing this up 

Still annoying though 

It's not too bad and is often the way. I should have saved earlier. Just doesn't crash that often.

[Jimbokav1971]

8 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Annoyingly lost a post saying how your your last post (above the strikers in team one) changed how I saw some players (age of Mateus and that Pisco looks an inverted winger). Rebelo looks a lesser Ramos. I mentioned that this leaves trying to find goals ftt try om around the team (set pieces, midfield etc). I do though still see Mateus as a midfielder, though think that’s a tough gig to get into and if he’s not making it in now it’s not happening.

Agree with your development and if players will make it or not.

Mateus has played in midfield in the past, (and my Ass Man always used to pick him in midfield when asked), but I specifically want to play 2 up front and have done the double AF's so wanted 1 main striker and then a 2nd supporting striker. He was the one who seemed most suitable, (even now). Let's see how things work using the F9 as the 2nd striker. 

With regards to Pisco, you could be right, but then again I have 2 good left wingers, (1 normal and 1 inverted), so he wouldn't even be 1nd choice there and is WAY off their levels at the moment. 

Interestingly, the Ass Man likes (32b) Moucheira (POR) as a striker, but I don't agree. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Job Offers. Jul 2042. 

I can't believe I'm saying no to £477,000 per month. 

They have now offered us the job 4 times. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2042. 

Liga Bwin. It was a strange month in that we dropped points in 4 of our 5 games, but we actually played really well. The 1st goal we conceded against Porto was as a result of our GK taking an attacking free-kick, and both of our starting strikers, (32g) Ramos (POR) and (36e) Pisco (POR) * are off the mark with 2 goals each. We and they should have had more though, and I think  the SC Farense result shows you how I want us to attack. They are the whipping boys of the league though I think. 

SAD  Franchise Derby. 

They have a new manager Latyr Fall of Senegal. He's had a good start with a draw in his 1st game against us, but we're now unbeaten in our last 10 SAD  Franchise derbies. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. PdF are one of our bogey teams, so I'm happy to progress against them. 

Europa League Group draw. Got to be happy with this group I think. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 GK goals in the opening month of the season is decent, and he went really close with a few other free-kicks. 

 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

@Sonic Youthasked to see the top players from the last intake, (I forgot), so belatedly here they are. 

[Sonic Youth]

6 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

@Sonic Youthasked to see the top players from the last intake, (I forgot), so belatedly here they are. 

Thanks for posting. It’s definitely not your best intake and I struggle to pick one that could progress to the first team (maybe Crespo or Felizardo). It’s going to be interesting to see the impact the new HoYD makes on the intakes 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Sonic Youth
Names?

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Thanks for posting. It’s definitely not your best intake and I struggle to pick one that could progress to the first team (maybe Crespo or Felizardo). It’s going to be interesting to see the impact the new HoYD makes on the intakes 

Yeah, it's not that we haven't had decent PA strikers produced. It's that we haven't had decent PA strikers, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO REACH THEIR PA.

[Jimbokav1971]

Sept 2042. 

Liga Bwin. To me this looks like an awful month in the league, but actually it's not that bad at all. 1st of all Benfica are the real deal and we drew with them after seeing a penalty saved. 

I don't want to get too bogged down with stats, but xG is a decent one to indicate how things went in this match. 

PdF 0.49 - 0.90 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 1.28 - 0.26 Maritimo. 
Belenenses 2.44 - 1.14 Benfica. 

So although we're languishing down in 11th place in the league, we've only lost 1 of 8 games, (against Porto), and 1 of their 2 goals was scored as a result of countering our GK taking a wide free-kick. While I obviously don't want it to continue like this, let's stick with it for the moment. 

UEFA Europa League.

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

Finances.   

[Thebaker]

I would dump Embalo but keep Edgar joao who could be the natural successer to Mateus who has probably peaked as a striker as i think they can do at 27ish and needs moving on. Perhaps just changing the striker roles could help their output.

[Jimbokav1971]

27 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

I would dump Embalo but keep Edgar joao who could be the natural successer to Mateus who has probably peaked as a striker as i think they can do at 27ish and needs moving on. Perhaps just changing the striker roles could help their output.

You might have missed it, but although I have stuck with AF on the left, I have started with DLF on the right, moved onto T and then back to DLF and not ever been happy with the partnership. I'm currently looking at F9 this season and early signs are mixed, (but improving). 

I think there is just something missing in (27a) Mateus (POR) and for whatever reason nothing seems to work with him. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) has 7 goals in 12 games and he is usually partnered with (36e) Pisco (POR) * who has 3 goals in 13 games. They started off slowly, but things are getting better. 

(39d) Rebelo (POR) * is 2nd choice on the left and he has 5 goals in 4 games, but where I was going to partner him with (27a) Mateus (POR), I've opted to give the younger players a go instead. 

(34a) Ribeiro (POR) is 3rs choice on the left and he has 2 goals in 2 games. 

(41c) Abrantes (POR) * scored 1 goal and 1 assist in his 1 appearance. 

(41g) Amaral (POR) * has 0 goals in 0(1) appearances. 

(27a) Mateus (POR) is often used as a sub, but that's not working either and I'm thinking of moving him to the B Team and not even picking him in the senior squads. 

After a sluggish start, I honestly think that thinks are moving in the right direction.

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2042. 

Liga Bwin. We gifted the big boys about a 12 point lead after the 1st 2 months with all those draws, so it's pleasing to be almost back in the mix after 3 months. Still with 1 loss. it will be interesting to see if we can keep this up. Benfica and Porto have conceded just 3 and 5 goals each. 

UEFA Europa League. Nice and comfortable here with a weakened squad. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup.

Taça de Portugal Placard.

Goal-scoring GK's. That brings us to 5 GK goals after 3 months. 

 

Finances.   

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2042. 

Liga Bwin. I'm at a loss to explain the loss to Cova da Piedade. They have a goal difference of -23, but this was the 1st game of the season that we didn't win on xG. They actually deserved to win, (or maybe draw, but you get what I mean). 

UEFA Europa League. We really clicked against the Swedes. It might have been 10+.

Taça de Portugal Placard. We left it late, but this was a deserved win and we have competed well in the 3 games against the Big 3 so far this season, (1 narrow loss, 1 draw and 1 win). 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2042. 

Liga Bwin. The 2 losses were against 2 of the Big 3, and what peeved me most is that our 3rd choice GK (33d) Diederich (POR)(LUX) 6'2 is 1st choice at Sporting and kept a clean sheet against us, his 10th clean sheet in 24 games in all competitions this season), after initially being signed as a backup. We're up to 5th and although the Top 2 are off in the distance, 3rd is still very much within our reach. 

xG watch.

Sporting 1.19 - 1.42 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 2.56 - 0.32 Gil Vicente. 
Porto 2.52 - 0.56 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 2.68 - Famalicao.

UEFA Europa League. We fielded a really young squad in this game and we were found out a little, lucky to rescue a late draw. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. Comfortable win. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. We were convincingly the better team, but they scored and we didn't. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2043. 

Liga Bwin. The 2 points dropped against Estoril were really frustrating, but when we follow that up with 5 consecutive wins, I can't really complain. We're sitting in 4th and bang in the mix for 3rd, (which was my goal at the beginning of the season). 

xG watch.

Belenenses 1.12 - 0.34 Estoril.
Belenenses 2.75 - 0.54 SAD  Franchise. 
Farense 1.22 - 1.84 Belenenses. 
Nacional 0.27 - 1.41 Belenenses.
Belenenses 2.61 - 0.72 PdF.
Maritimo 1.73 - 1.61 Belenenses. (The xG score in this Maritimo game will have been skewed slightly by them being awarded a penalty and us saving it. I think it's only the 3rd time this season that the opposition has had a better xG than us).

SAD  Franchise derby.

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

A good couple of months, with the big 3 unfortunately knocking you out of the cups or being clinical. Fingers crossed this form keeps up for the rest of the season 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

A good couple of months, with the big 3 unfortunately knocking you out of the cups or being clinical. Fingers crossed this form keeps up for the rest of the season 

Yeah. Must admit that I wasn't too gutted about the Cups, not just because the priority is definitely the league this season, but also because my aim is to be competitive with the Big 3 in individual games rather than to beat them. I don't think beating them regularly is a reasonable expectation. 

These are the games and xG against the Big 3 this season (in all competitions). 

Belenenses 1.40 -  0.84 Porto. Porto won 2-1 after they scored a goal from their own half countering our GK taking a wide attacking free-kick. 
Belenenses 2.44 - 1.14 Benfica. We drew 0-0 in a game we should have won comfortably. 
Belenenses 1.86 - 1.32 Porto. We won 1-0 a really tight game with a late goal in extra-time.
Sporting 1.19 - 1.42 Belenenses. Sporting won 2-0 in a tight contest. 
Sporting 0.77 - 1.63 Belenenses. Sporting won 1-0 in a game we really should have won. 
Porto 2.52 - 0.56 Belenenses. Porto won 2-1, but the margin of victory should have been much bigger. 
Belenenses 0.35 - 3.12 Benfica. Benfica won 3-0 and it was a real hammering. 

We've still got games against Benfica and Sporting to play, (and while I know not to place to much faith in any particular stat), xG at least suggests that we were competitive in the 1st 5 games and only the last 2 where we were dominated. I think that's real progress even if we only actually won 1 of 7 games. It perhaps deels like we're doing better than we actually are. Maybe my glass is just half full? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Liga Bwin Managers. Feb 2043. 

I have noticed that we are competing against some high profile players who have now become managers in Portugal, so thought I would let you know who is managing whom at the moment. 

Porto are currently managed by Paul Pogba (6+ years), and Wayne Rooney has managed them in the past. 

Benfica are currently managed by David Alaba (7+ years), and he took over from Pochettino. 

Vitória de Guimarães have had a torrid time with managers, but when you sack Domingos Duarte after he wins a Cup, I'm not sure what your expectations are or how realistic they are when you win a Cup in Portugal, (against the Big 3), and still sack your manager. Locatelli, Rooney & Semedo have all managed here. 

Sporting have had a torrid time in this save after initial Manager Ruben Amorim, (3 League and 5 Cup wins) left. Since then they have been managed by Dejan Stankovic, David Alaba & Wayne Rooney (again).  

Gil Vicente have been managed by Savo Milosevic & Miguel Veloso.
Braga have been managed by Joshua Kimmich. 
Maritimo have been managed by Raul & Pedro Gomes. 
Leixões have been managed by Jean Tigana.
Moreirense have been managed by Rui Patricio & Lukas Klostermann. 
Paços de Ferreira have been managed by Carlos Carvahal.
SAD  Franchise have been managed by nobody of any note. 

I won't bother going any lower down the league table, but Rooney has been about in Portugal. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2043. 

Liga Bwin. We've stumbled a little this month. We should have taken all 3 points against Braga, but were denied by a 95th minute killer. ON the other hand the score of 1-0 against Benfica really flatters us. 

xG. 
Belenenses 1.62 - 1.06 Braga. 
Benfica 2.59 - 0.52 Belenenses. 

Finances.   

[RoguPL]

3 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Liga Bwin Managers. Feb 2043. 

I have noticed that we are competing against some high profile players who have now become managers in Portugal, so thought I would let you know who is managing whom at the moment. 

Porto are currently managed by Paul Pogba (6+ years), and Wayne Rooney has managed them in the past. 

Benfica are currently managed by David Alaba (7+ years), and he took over from Pochettino. 

Vitória de Guimarães have had a torrid time with managers, but when you sack Domingos Duarte after he wins a Cup, I'm not sure what your expectations are or how realistic they are when you win a Cup in Portugal, (against the Big 3), and still sack your manager. Locatelli, Rooney & Semedo have all managed here. 

Sporting have had a torrid time in this save after initial Manager Ruben Amorim, (3 League and 5 Cup wins) left. Since then they have been managed by Dejan Stankovic, David Alaba & Wayne Rooney (again).  

Gil Vicente have been managed by Savo Milosevic & Miguel Veloso.
Braga have been managed by Joshua Kimmich. 
Maritimo have been managed by Raul & Pedro Gomes. 
Leixões have been managed by Jean Tigana.
Moreirense have been managed by Rui Patricio & Lukas Klostermann. 
Paços de Ferreira have been managed by Carlos Carvahal.
SAD  Franchise have been managed by nobody of any note. 

I won't bother going any lower down the league table, but Rooney has been about in Portugal. 

 

Rooney is declining in Portugal, Going from Porto to VG to struggling Sporting and getting a sack. Can you show his managerial career ?