[FM22] Athletic Club: Cantera-attacking our way to glory

[dothestrand]

Welcome to this year's Athletic Club thread. A few of us now have been making this our first and main FM save. In the next few posts, I'll outline why you should play as Athletic Club.

First, we start with the club's prestigious history. Then we move onto a detailed analysis of the first team. Next, we discuss the recruitment techniques to use to find promising Basque talents and the more established players who can improve the first team. After, we highlight the importance of Lezama and developing your own young players and finding pathways to the first team. Finally, we look ahead to the next few seasons and how your squad may change as you transition out the older players and bring new players in, either from Lezama or from outside.

Good luck everyone! 

ATHLETIC CLUB HISTORY

Athletic de Bilbao, historically, are the third most successful football club in Spain. As well as being one of only three clubs never relegated from the top division of La Liga – there are no prizes for knowing the other two – they are also third in the number of titles won over the years. Sadly for their supporters the last title was won, along with the Copa del Rey, as far back as 1984.

Most football followers know about the long-standing Basque only policy of Athletic, which has been the subject of much debate, but I suspect that fewer are aware of the benefit that this concentration on home-grown players has had to the Spanish national squad. Athletic Bilbao has had more players representing Spain than any other Spanish club – including Real Madrid and Barcelona. The club has continued its tradition of signing players born in the Basque provinces of Spain or France, although in the late 1980s this was broadened to include players who had moved to the region at a young age.

Athletic Bilbao Football Club - Founded in 1898 by a group of students from the Gymnasium Zamacois – who adopted the English spelling because they had studied in England – Athletic Bilbao merged with Bilbao Football Club, consisting of mainly ex miners from the north-east of England and shipyard workers from Portsmouth and Southampton, in 1902. After calling themselves Club Vizcaya for a season they reverted to the name Athletic Club de Bilbao in 1903. After playing in blue and white stripes for a few seasons, in 1910 they changed to the red and white they still play in today – the possible reasons for this can be found in the Atlético Madrid article, as the two clubs shared founders and have entwined early histories.

During the early years, the club was immediately successful, frequently winning the Copa del Rey title. The star player of the time is still remembered in Spanish football today as the leading scorer each year is known as the ‘Pichichi’, which is named after the Athletic player who once scored a hat-trick in a Cup Final.

The appointment of English coach Fred Pentland, El Bombín (the Bowler Hat) led to even more success. A great coaching innovator, who was also in charge of Atlético Madrid and the Spanish national team, Pentland was an early advocate of the style that became known in England, much later, as ‘push and run’ when introduced by Arthur Rowe with Tottenham Hotspur. He was not the only English manager employed by the club; in later years, Ronnie Allen and Howard Kendall also coached here. Their choices of headgear, though, went unrecorded! It is, however, known that Kendall found it so frustrating being unable to buy the players he wanted that it was cited as his major reason for leaving the club.

Under Pentland’s stewardship, Athletic won the League – of which the team were founder members in 1928 – and the cup on several occasions, doing the ‘double’ in both 1930 and 1931. In the second of these remarkable seasons, Barcelona were beaten by 12 goals to 1 in Bilbao – a result which is never likely to be repeated.

All of the games in Bilbao were played at the club’s present stadium, San Mamés, named after a nearby church. This has led to the stadium being known as ‘The Cathedral’, although the atmosphere – especially when Real Madrid are in town – can hardly be compared with one! As well as being known as the ‘Rojiblancos’ because of their colours the team is also referred to as ‘Los Leones’ (the lions) as St Mames himself was an early Christian that the lions had refused to kill.

There was a period when the club had to change its name to Atlético Bilbao, as a result of a decision by Franco to outlaw non-Spanish names and languages. During the 1950s, however, the government’s severe restrictions on foreign-born players in the league greatly helped the Basque club who won several league and cup titles in this time and, in 1956, entered the then-named European Cup for the first time. The club’s successes all helped give the Basque people a sense of identity at a time when they felt very isolated in Spain. There was a famous incident in December 1975, just 15 days after the death of Franco, in which Iribar and Kortabarria, rival captains of Athletic and Real Sociedad, carried the Basque flag – illegal at the time – onto the pitch before a local derby.

RECENT SUCCESS

Bilbao finished up their 2013-14 campaign with a fourth place finish and shot to secure Champion's League football, which they did with a victory over Napoli. Unfortunately Bilbao fell short, finishing third in their group behind both Shakhtar and FC Porto then later were knocked out of the EURO by Serie A side Torino. Bilbao managed to make it to the finals of the Copa del Ray as well, but once again fell short with a 3-1 loss to Barcelona. The club were able to get redemption however, with the ageless Artiz Aduriz scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2015-2016 Super Cup and also capturing a draw at Camp Nou later in the season. Aduriz ended his resurgent 2015-2016 season with 36 goals in all competitions and getting a call of to the Spain national team for Euro 2016. The club secured a spot in the EURO with a fifth place finish in the 2015-2016 season thanks to not only contributions from Aduriz, but also from some of their more promising first team youth players. 

In 2016-17 the club enjoyed another consistent season coached by Ernesto Valverde, finishing 7th in the league and requalifying for the Europa League (3rd qualifying round) for 2017-18. Heralded as a potential winner of the Europa League in 2016-17, the club lost in the round of 32 to Apoel Nicosia in a surprising result. Following the 2016-17 season, coach Ernesto Valverde moved on to Barcelona after a successful spell at the club. Athletic made the decision to promote Kuko Ziganda from the B team to take control of the first team squad, but sadly this didn't work out and he was removed from his position at the end of the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, the club moved to appoint Eduardo Berizzo to the helm alongside his backroom team. Berizzo has previously enjoyed a successful spell at Celta and a mixed spell at Sevilla previously, and is well known for his pressing style. Unfortunately Berizzo's style led to some promising football but poor results - ultimately he was removed and replaced by Gaizka Garitano. Garitano had been leading the B team - he brought about improved solidarity defensively in comparison to the leaky football seen under Berizzo, and led the team through impressive form for the remainder of the season, finishing just outside of the European qualification places.

The 2019-20 season started in glorious fashion, when Aduriz scored a sensational last minute scissor kick to defeat Barcelona at the San Mames. That was unfortunately as good as it got. Despite the season being interrupted by COVID-19, Athletic Club remained in European contention for most of the season, only for a poor run of form to derail them once the season resumed. Athletic Club finished a disappointing 11th, although they were only 5pts behind arch-rivals Real Sociedad, who finished 6th. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad both reached the Copa Del Rey final, the first Basque derby final ever. Held in April 2021, a disappointing performance saw Real Sociedad lift the trophy.

The 2020-21 season was another underwhelming year. Athletic Club finished in 10th, but with fewer points than the previous season, and a long way off the European places. They reached the Copa Del Rey final once more, but were hammered 4-0 by Barcelona. The pattern from the last few years is familiar now. Solid in defence but passive in attack. Alex Berenguer was the top  scorer in La Liga with a mere eight goals. The good news was the emergence of young players like Sancet, Vencedor and Morcillo. In that respect at least, the future appears brighter.

RIVALRIES

The largest one in Spain sees you facing Real Sociedad in a Basque derby. Other rivalries are with another Basque teams Eibar and Osasuna and also competitive rivalries with Barcelona and Real Madrid. Osasuna and Sociedad in particular are also the other main producers of Basque players, but good luck signing any of them. It's exceedingly difficult to pry players from one club to the other, which is how intense the rivalry is. When playing as Athletic, you can expect to sign players on the odd occasion from these clubs, and it gets easier if you're able to build a solid difference in reputation between the sides, however even at that stage, some players will refuse the move. This is something of an unexpected challenge to many newcomers to managing Athletic, in that the majority of Basque players capable of improving the team do not want to join.

WHY ATHLETIC CLUB?

It's one of the more challenging saves in all of FM, because you are limited to signing only players with Basque heritage or players in Spain who are no older than 16 years old. It forces you to focus on utilizing what you have in the squad to the best of their ability and developing your youth and figuring out what you want the DNA of the club to be long term. This offers two different ways to play as Athletic Club:

1) Use the signing of Spanish U16 players to provide a wider base to pick from, or for an added challenge...
2) Only sign Basque players of any age, and do not sign any spanish U16 players unless they already hold Basque nationality. 

Athletic Club have one of the best youth setups in the game, so you can churn out prospects to replenish your first team and keep it home grown. You aren't buying any trophies here with a Tycoon. You need to have a strong handle on youth development and be ready to integrate those younger players into the side. 

EXPECTATIONS

Athletic has very high standards and expectations. Here you can see you are expected to get into the Europa League as a primary target, and in future seasons, the club wants to be seen as 'the best of the best' and most probably competing for the 4th Champions League place. While doing this, you are required to focus on youth development and, of course, can only sign players of Basque nationality. These are ambitious targets but they are achievable.

Edited October 26, 2021 by dothestrand

[dothestrand]

THE FIRST TEAM

Athletic have a strong squad capable of challenging for Europe, with good depth throughout the team. This is the recommended best starting XI, though you may very quickly disagree!

Let's take a look at each section of the team and some of the key players in each area:

Goalkeepers

• Unai Simon is now Spain's undisputed first choice and demonstrated that he's one of the best young goalkeepers in the world in Euro 2020. With four years left on his contract and a huge release clause, you have no concerns about losing him any time soon. You could feasibly keep him until he retires.
• Jokin Ezkieta is a more than competent backup for Simon and definitely capable of deputising against lesser league opposition or in the cups.

You may want to think about signing a third-choice goalkeeper as your youth options are not to the right standards yet. If Simon got injured, you could find yourself pretty light. Look for a reasonably cheap, decent, experienced goalkeeper. Someone like Mikel Pagola would be perfect (free transfer).

Defenders

• Inigo Martinez - a true leader in the defensive area. He is your first choice centre back, and as a bonus he's also left footed/left sided. He's not the strongest aerially, although capable, however his main attributes are on the ground. Both a fantastic ball player but also an aggressive tackler. He can play the stopper role well which suits a stopper/cover combo if you're in to that sort of thing.
• Yeray - Yeray is the first choice option alongside Martinez at CB. A fantastically well rounded BPD, albeit like Martinez a touch weak in the air. Also an option at RB. 
• Unai Nunez - arguably has the highest potential in the defensive ranks, and now represents a fantastic first team option off the rip. He has a fantastic attribute spread and could easily slot in next to Martinez. He's an excellent option to contest for a spot with Yeray, but you can easily rotate the three CBs.
• Oscar de Marcos - Mr Versatile, can play across every position on the right side and even in CM too, if you're short of options. One of the longest serving players in the squad but starting to decline. His contract expires at the end of the first season and you will probably receive offers immediately, so you'll need to decide if you need to keep him with Capa and Lekue (currently in the reserves) around.
• Ander Capa - signed from Eibar a few seasons ago, has turned into an excellent all-round RB, particularly in the opposition half of the pitch. Gives you a good wing-back option too if you want to try three CBs.
• Dani Vivian - returned from a successful loan period at Mirandes and has had a significant bump in FM22. He has a perfectionist personality too and has huge potential.
• Mikel Balenziaga  - a solid LB, now 33, likely to be your backup to Yuri, but unlikely to let you down when you give him chances. Contract expires at the end of the first season, so you may let that run down or sell sooner.
• Yuri - superb LB, signed from PSG two seasons ago. Excels in both defensive and attacking positions. Keep an eye on his contract, which expires in two years. Even though he's 31 now, his physical stats are still very good.
• Imanol - starts the game on loan at Mirandes in the second division, and can almost certainly take over from Balenziaga in Summer 2022 if you let him leave on a free.

Midfielders

• Dani Garcia - a well rounded midfielder who can play in a few different roles. Well suited to play as the more defensive option in a central midfield two/three, but can play in more of an attacking box to box role as well with his work rate and well rounded attacking attributes.
• Mikel Vesga - a solid backup option, who can play a defensive role or more orthodox CM role equally well. Unlikely to be a long-term squad member and if you enough options in the middle of the park, cash in when there's enough interest.
• Unai Vencedor - starts the game with wonderkid status. A natural defensive midfielder who sits in front of the CBs, he can also play further forward. Has strong physical and mental stats.
• Alex Berenguer - an incredibly versatile player, he can play anywhere on either flank. This is likely to be his greatest benefit to you. I'm unconvinced he's a long-term starter but could drop in anywhere when needed.
• Raul Garcia - despite his advancing years, he remains a strong option in an attacking midfield role or as a striker. The latter is where you will most likely start him due to a lack of alternatives! Out of contract at the end of the season and on big wages, so keep an eye on how physical stats fare before re-signing him. His personality is perfectionist though, so he would be a superb mentor to youngsters.
• Unai Lopez - on loan to Vallecano and signing permanently next Summer, so let's move on!
• Oihan Sancet - an attack-minded central midfielder with a resolute personality, which means you could have that position locked down for the next decade potentially.
• Iker Muniain  - captain and iconic player, has played more of a deeper CM role in recent seasons, but can cover the left flank too (though you have many options there, so it might not be necessary). You may want to think about whether playing as part of a two or three man CM axis works best.
• Inaki Williams - arguably your star man, equally capable as a winger or central striker, with pace to burn. Likely to be in demand but the contract situation means you're in a strong position to hang onto him if you meet your objectives.
• Inigo Cordoba - on loan in the Dutch leagues for the forthcoming season, but if he performs well, he may be a first-team option as he can play both flanks.
• Inigo Vicente - on loan at Mirandes, but given your number of choices out wide, he may be a candidate for sale in Summer 2022.
• Jon Morcillo - recently broken through to the first team last season, he offers a strong option on either flank, and has plenty of room to grow.
• Nico Williams - has had a huge bump in FM22. His physical stats need some work, but his technical skills are very impressive.  

Attackers

• Asier Villalibre - just the one out and out striker, I'm afraid. In past saves, he's blown hot and cold. But you've other options whilst you wait for regens or gamble on Karrikaburu!

Edited October 26, 2021 by dothestrand

[dothestrand]

RECRUITMENT

Tips for recruitment and scouting

I usually run with the following player filters saved on the player search screen, so I can quickly flick through the options important to me:

Filter 1: All Basque Players
Nationality IS Basque, and Realistic transfer equals unticked

Filter 2: Realistic Basque Players
Nationality IS Basque, and realistic transfer equals ticked (usually set to 'doubtful' interest or above)

Filter 3: All Basque Youth Players
Nationality IS Basque, and age is at most 17 (or 18 if you prefer), realistic transfer equals unticked

Filter 4: Realistic Basque Youth Players
Nationality IS Basque, and age is at most 17 (or 18 if you prefer), realistic transfer equals ticked

If you are keen to also recruit Spaniards of 16 years of age, you can just adjust the youth filters by adding "Nationality is Basque OR nationality is Spanish", Age is at most 16. That will allow you to see Spaniards who you could sign who would then gain Basque nationality later.

Youth Intake Day and the period immediately after

Make sure you immediately scout all youth players from Eibar, Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Alaves and any other Basque clubs who are doing well on the game. I then use the general player search screen to find anyone who has appeared at another club.

I look at a combination of star rating and attributes once the scout has 100% knowledge. Generally I won't pursue anyone with less than 2 gold star potential. Above that, 3 gold star or above potential I always sign, 2 or 2.5 I base it more on the attribute spread and my general feeling on the player (e.g. whether they look pretty good already and perhaps the scout is wrong, or whether they might fit a certain role and perform above their level later). If you are signing any Spanish 16 year old, you can probably be a bit more picky. 

Once I feel I may sign them but don't want to pull the trigger straight away (or can't), I add them to my shortlist and re-scout every month to see any changes in price/wage or ability. 

Scouting

A good scouting structure for Athletic Club can work as follows:

Scout 1 - Next opposition
Scout 2 - Scouting La Liga, any player age
Scout 3 - Scouting Segunda (Liga 123), any player age
Scout 4 - Scouting Segunda (Liga 123), under 19s only
Scout 5 - Scouting France nation, under 19s only (you could have another scout doing all ages here if you feel it necessary)
Scouts 6 and 7 - Scouting Segunda B (3rd tier), under 19s only

You can of course add a few extras, however I tend to find after the first couple of seasons any outliers (e.g. notable Basque players who have moved abroad) you know of anyway and can scout separately. This combined with the player search filters should mean you don't miss any potential talent. 

Top Basque Players Outside of Athletic

The Dream

There are a number of big name Basque players who might provide an option for the future, depending on how their careers go at their respective clubs:

• Antoine Griezmann - he starts on loan at Atletico Madrid and is on a whopping 350k per week. You can wait until his Barcelona contract ends in three years, but his physical stats will be in decline by that point.
• Aymeric Laporte - a key part of the Man City backline. His wages are within range (just), but his availability will depend on how he gets on at Man City, definitely a chance here if he falls out of favour at City, however you're not short of quality young CB's anyway.
• Cesar Azpilicueta - the emergence of Reece James at Chelsea means the versatile defender may be easier to prise away from Stamford Bridge than in previous saves. He's 31 and on big wages, but his contract expires in 2022, so he could be a short-term option if you get his salary down!
• Ander Herrera - likely to be a squad player at PSG, so it may be easier to re-sign him than in previous games. At 31, he still has years left in the tank due to his phenomenal stamina and workrate. 

Real Sociedad Players

These guys basically fall into their own category, because signing them can be almost impossible. Their squad is looking ripe with Basque talent now. There are more options than in past seasons.

• Alex Remiro - former Athletic Club GK, who left a season ago under a cloud. Expect the fans to riot if you signed him!
• Joseba Zaldua - A very capable right back who plays at a similar level to Capa and De Marcos. Worth keeping an eye on in case you are in need of someone in that role.
• Aritz Elustondo - Another good central defender option also capable of playing as a right back. 
• Aihen Munoz - Solid left back, and given Balenziaga is getting older, he could prove a handy addition to the squad. 
• Kevin Rodrigues - Solid left back option and likely to be available at the end of the first season when he returns from loan. 
• Robin Le Normand and Andoni Gorosabal - Two good young options at 24. Worth scouting, but you'll need to decide whether it would be worth your time with other options out there.
• Nacho Monreal - 35 but still in excellent physical shape. If he became available quickly (or in 2021 when his contract expires), he would provide solid depth for a season or two.
• Urko Gonzalez de Zarate and Jon Pacheco - a couple of 20 year old CBs in the B squad, who both have good technical and mental stats, but need to bulk up. Not likely to be a priority, but if you can pick them up cheap, they might be worth it. Pacheco can also play LB.
• Igor Zubeldia - Solid deep lying playmaker type. Young player who can be a starter/rotation option if you're able to get him in. A solid playmaker who is equally a natural at CB.
• Jon Guridi - box to box midfielder, who's likely to become surplus to requirements, but you'd have to decide whether he's better than what you have.
• Ander Guevara - starts the game transfer listed but you'll pay more than other clubs. A younger, slightly better option than Guridi. Would be open to a move.
• Martin Zubimendi - superb prospect at 22. If he becomes available, buy, buy, buy.
• Mikel Merino - Following his transfer to Real Sociedad and continued snub of Athletic, there will be some work to do to get this transfer done. Most realistic chance would be if he moved to another club first. A strong midfielder who would provide an excellent option though if available. He has a somewhat achievable release clause of around 38.5m as well, but he may not want to join anyway.
• Asier Illaramendi - An excellent deep lying playmaker, who at 31 has years ahead of him. 
• Mikel Oyarzabal - An attacking midfielder with massive potential. Given Raul Garcia is ageing, if you were able to bring in Oyarzabal it would be a real coup as he could hold down that position for years. He should always be your number 1 target, but whether timing and luck mean he comes your way is an unknown. The best hope is that Barcelona/Real Madrid sign him and he becomes unsettled/transfer listed.
• Luca Sangalli - A hard working, two footed box to box player. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. Starts the game on the transfer list, but like with Guevara, you'll need to pay more than the asking price. Has doubts about signing for Athletic Club anyway, though that may change.
• Martin Merquelanz - an AML option, but as strong as what you have, therefore would not be a priority.
• Roberto Lopez - can play across the attacking midfield positions and at 22, has plenty of room to improve.
• Ander Barrenetxea - A talented 19 year old winger, who already has wonderkid status.
• Jon Bautista - Would offer another striker option, but starts on loan and isn't at Villalibre's quality, so would be squad filler.
• Robert Navarro - starts in the C squad, the former Barcelona youngster has Basque second nationality, and is a potential wonderkid. His release fee starts at around 21m.
• Jon Karrikaburu - a striker of ridiculous potential. It's almost worth pulling the trigger on his release clause immediately, which will vary depending on how he starts in the game.

Realistically, the best chance you have of signing any Sociedad players is if they get snapped up by a big team, but then don't get game time. There are a few others less talented players who could become good options, but realistically you are likely to have better prospects through the academy at Athletic anyway.

Very Realistic Options for the First Two Seasons

Given Athletic's squad is largely capable, there aren't many options out there who are worth picking up at the start of the game. However Athletic have a decent transfer budget at the start of the game (21m), so if you had a few bad injuries in pre season, the following could be potential options, or ones you need to keep an eye on.

• Sergio Herrera - the Osasuna goalkeeper has a manageable release fee (11.5m) and may be the best immediate replacement for Simon if you got an insane offer that you couldn't refuse. 
• Alvaro Fernandez - the Huesca goalkeeper starts on loan at Brentford, but if they don't sign him permanently, he could be a good backup to Simon.
• Alvaro Odriozola - on loan at Fiorentina from Real Madrid, he could be an easy pickup for a bargain in the Summer of 2022. 
• Martin Aguirregabiria - 24 year old full back at Alaves. Worth scouting and keeping an eye on, especially as Capa gets older.
• Javi Martinez -  injury prone (knee problems), but could be a short term option as Qatar SC are likely to accept around 2m. His wages are likely to be manageable too. You won't need him as a CB and he may take minutes away from Vencedor in the DM position.
• Jonathan Espericueta - the Mexican with Basque nationality...you will need to set specific database options for him to be loaded into the game. A decent prospect, but worth noting due to him playing in the Mexican league. Be sure to load him up, he could be useful! There's one or two others who may pop up in this camp so we will see who appears once the game has been played a bit more.
• Aimar Oroz - a talented young player from Osasuna in central midfield and as a left-winger. Available at an affordable rate with good potential. Still a work in progress.
• Jon Moncayola - DLP at Osasuna. A young player with potential to be very solid indeed, has an 17m release clause but will need some convincing to join. In a test save, he signed for Man City, then Dortmund, so he is highly rated in the game!
• Ruben Pardo - good central playmaker at Leganes, but around the same level as what you have, so you'd be signing for depth. He's often done well in past saves, but he's 28, so you'd be better off looking at younger options.
• Roberto Torres - 32, but can play all across the midfield, with great technical attributes. A short term option, but would improve the squad.
• Javi Martinez - no, not THAT Javi Martinez! There's another one at Osasuna who plays as an attacking midfielder. Worth scouting. Mainly in here for the name joke.
• Ivan Martin - a young Villareal midfielder, currently on loan at Alaves. Can play as a CM and anywhere in the attacking midfield positions, so offers versatility and depth. Likely to be available in the Summer of 2022.
• Kike Barja - a young Osasuna winger who can play on both flanks. He's probably at Morcillo/Cordoba's level, so would only ever be squad filler.
• Jon Julen Guerrero - just for the romance, you might want to bring Athletic Club legend Julen's son to the club. He's currently in Real Madrid's under-19s and has some promising technical stats, but clearly needs to develop further. He's only 17 and definitely interested in a move - at the start of the game, you might get him for around 2m max.

 

Contracts

When you start the game, always check release clauses throughout the team. The last thing you want managing Athletic is not being aware a players release clause is within reach and losing them unexpectedly. Make sure the guys you definitely want to keep have prohibitive release clauses - or at least, you could live with selling them for the money it would take to prise them away.

When negotiating contracts, increase the clause to what you want it to be and lock it on the first negotiation. They'll ask for more wages but that's ok, you can't risk losing good players and finances aren't a big problem at Athletic. If you don't lock the higher clause, they may respond by locking a much lower value. Also consider locking in a three-year optional extension. Again, the wages requested will increase but if it's manageable, do it!

Edited October 27, 2021 by dothestrand

[dothestrand]

BUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM UP

Athletic Club are a team built from within, their record of retaining their La Liga status despite only signing players from the local region is unrivalled anywhere in the world. In recent years since the world of big TV money began, with more players travelling overseas this in theory should have become a much tougher task for Athletic Club. Indeed Athletic have regularly lost big name players over recent years, such as Fernando Llorente, Ander Herrera, Javi Martinez and most recently, the pair of Kepa and Aymeric Laporte, but there has always been one thing to keep things together and bring year on year development….Lezama. 

Lezama is the club’s academy, and of the current first team squad most have come through Athletic Club’s own academy. Some players left to develop elsewhere before returning (that is a common theme at Athletic, e.g. Benat), and you should always write buy back clauses into player sales. Athletic’s focus on youth and confidence in their academy is so strong, they often turn down the opportunity to recruit other Basque talent to give their academy players a chance. Such a philosophy is a breath of fresh air in the modern footballing world, and one of the reasons I was attracted to Athletic Club on a personal level. In game, you do have the option of signing 16 year old Spaniards to help build a stronger academy. However the purist may prefer to avoid this, and only sign players of Basque nationality at any age – this is also a great way to make an Athletic save just a touch more difficult. It basically becomes a youth academy challenge, with just a few other clubs you’re likely to be able to pluck youngsters from (who normally won't sell to you).

 

Recruitment of youngsters

Be sure to keep a close eye on the academies of Osasuna and Real Sociedad. This is where the best Basque youngsters are most likely going to come through, however (especially with Sociedad) be prepared to be patient or pay over the odds as the rivalry is a fierce one and player loyalty runs deep in the region.

Fortunately, Athletic’s own academy can make the club largely self-sufficient. The structure of B teams and C teams in Football Manager has become more immersive and generally deeper over recent versions, meaning the reserve teams are a more viable way to develop young talent than they used to be.

 

The Current Crop

At the start of your save, Athletic’s youth players are split between Bilbao Athletic (B team) and Baskonia (C Team) and the under 19s team, so before making any squad changes it’s imperative you get to know the players in these teams. Some of them won’t make it, but a lot of them will provide good depth for the first team with some being able to make an immediate impact. One of the biggest things when managing Athletic Club if you're new to the team, is remembering that any player could become important....when managing Athletic, you need to be flexible, you'll need players with lower star ratings for depth, and you'll need to build a tactic around effective players sometimes who might not necessarily be the best in terms of star ratings.

 

Bilbao Athletic & CD Baskonia

A couple of seasons ago Bilbao Athletic played in the Segunda, a big step up from the 3rd tier. This was a great opportunity for these players to showcase their skills and challenge for a role in the first team. However the Segunda is a tough division of seasoned pros, and the young Bilbao Athletic team lacked the experience to challenge in the division and were relegated. Even with that, some youngsters really showed their quality and have earned their opportunities with the first team. Others have continued in the Segunda with loan moves or played for the B side again in the Segunda B. 

Baskonia play in the regional division, and to be honest, in game I tend to use them as a dumping ground for those players who are realistically never going to contribute to the first team as their division is inactive. However at the start of the game the team has a number of potential first team talents worth keeping an eye on. I won't post specific screenshots of players as most (both B, C and under 19s) have a variable potential that could land anywhere within a set range, meaning the same player on one save could be a Segunda level player, while in the next save could be a solid La Liga prospect. It's down to you to keep an eye on these players and track their development - just because someone only has a 2 star potential, don't dump them.....loan them, get them games and the right training schedules, they may contribute in the future.

Please note, players will sometimes begin each save in different reserve teams and with different potential ratings, so don't take the below screenshots as gospel. All players listed have at least 3* potential. 

The key players from Bilbao Athletic (B Team):

Zarraga, Nolaskoian and Artola could do a decent job in the first team squad if you need them to, switching in for players who need a rest from time to time. All three are versatile, as well. But you might want to secure them loan moves in the second division for regular minutes, to assist their development. The other guys listed here probably aren't ready for the first team squad and may need loan moves or just remain where they are.

The key players from Baskonia (C Team):

Prados could be a future first team squad player, but would need to kick on. A loan move may help with. Agirrezabala is fine in my save and could move up to the B squad - he's already played for the first team IRL. Otherwise, I think this is a squad of players unlikely to ever do much for you.

The key players from the under 19s:

Serrano is a fantastic talent and was an excellent performer in FM21. He's just as good here. His technical stats are already good, just get him on the weights! There are a number of other players here with good potential, so make sure you get their training right and bring them through the squads/get loan moves when you can. 

There two main ways you can play as Athletic, either buying up 16 year old Spaniards to hoard talent and make sure they gain Basque nationality, or working carefully with the Bilbao academy players and signing players from the region. Either way, Lezama is an important part of Athletic Club and something that must be taken seriously. When you can only sign Basque players, developing strength in depth is much tougher than at other clubs. If a player is only 2-3 gold star potential, don’t discard them….work with them, develop their key attributes so they can effective first team players, and they may just surprise you. If you're playing as Athletic for the first time, and you're used to signing players based on star ratings to squad build, be prepared to change your approach...you'll need to utilise everyone!

Edited October 27, 2021 by dothestrand

[dothestrand]

SQUAD BUILDING: LOOKING AHEAD

 

Now we've looked at the various prospects in the youth squads, the first team and potential transfer targets, let's take a look at the first team squad and potential moves to upgrade or sustain your team quality over the initial seasons using players within the database at game start (obviously regens can play a part as you get perhaps 2 years in as well!):

Goalkeeper
Starting options: with Unai Simon and Jokin Ezkieta, you are well set for the foreseeable future. Eskieta still has plenty of years left as a back up, but may want to move on if you're not playing him.
Potential upgrades: Kepa at Chelsea is the only real upgrade available here in the goalkeeping ranks, but his price and wages make it unrealistic for quite a few years at least.
Potential sideways moves: While you'll want to keep Simon, Ezkieta is replaceable if prefers to leave. There are a few alternatives you could look at if that happens: Oier Olazabal, Aitor Fernandez, Alvaro Fernandez, Alex Remiro (but you've been warned!) and Sergio Herrera are all very capable. Ivan Martinez, the young Osasuna goalkeeper, is one to watch.
Youth team prospects: Julen Aggirezabala could kick on to become a first team squad member. There are other goalkeepers in the C and u19s who could develop well too.
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Hard to look past Simon as your first choice, but the back up is flexible.

Central Defenders
Starting options: with Inigo Martinez, Yeray, Unai Nunez and Dani Vivian, you are again quite secure here and this area won't need any major overhauls any time soon.
Potential upgrades: Laporte is pretty much it, but similarly to Kepa above, pricing makes it unrealistic for some time at least.
Sideways moves: Aritz Elustondo and Igor Zubeldia at Real Sociedad would be an ideal pickup should one of the above depart. Be cautious though, they are unlikely to want to join, so losing one of the above may lead to a hole you can't fill.
Youth team prospects: You don't have a huge number of options in your own ranks - Aitor Paredes is the most likely to develop. Jorge Herrando at Osasuna could be a good option, though the Real Sociedad pair of Urko Gonzalez de Zarate or Jon Pacheco would be ideal.
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: No changes are necessary. You can even afford to sell Martinez if you get a large offer. Nolaskoian offers a CB option too.

Right Back
Starting options: with Ander Capa, Oscar De Marcos and Inigo Lekue, again you are quite secure here. De Marcos will decline, but the other two can hold down this spot without issue for a few years.
Potential upgrades: Alvaro Odriozola - if you can get him you should. Azpilicueta is out there as well, but he's older and not so realistic. 
Sideways moves: Joseba Zaldua at Real Sociedad is one option, but may not be available to you, similarly Andoni Gorosobel at Real Sociedad is much the same. Martin Aguirregabiria might be more realistic, but none of these guys are worth worrying about bringing in unless you have to.
Youth team prospects: Alvaro Nunez could develop nicely within a couple of seasons with the right guidance.
Likely players in 1-2 Seasons: Capa and Lekue/Nunez. If you can sign Odriozola, perfect.

Left Back

Starting options: with Yuri  and Balenziaga, this is an area that will require your attention fairly quickly, although you have a little time.
Potential upgrades: There's not any specific upgrades on Yuri out there in terms of ability
Sideways moves: Kevin Rodrigues and Aihen Munoz are worth your attention. This duo are both young and can fill the spot for a good few years. Yuri has a few seasons in him, but if you can get enough money for Yuri to allow you to pay Munoz's release clause, thats a long term move well worth considering. A few other back up options out there like Saborit if you need, but given Rodrigues is available for very little in your first season he's an obvious option if you needed.
Youth team prospects: Imanol will return from loan and can easily take Balenziaga's spot. Eneko Clemente in the u19s might be an option if he develops well.
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Yuri/Munoz and Imanol.

Central Midfield
Staring options: Athletic Club are well equipped for a DM and 2xCM system, or a 2xCM and an AMC tactic. Vesga and Dani Garcia are effective DMs, but Dani Garcia can also play well as a more orthodox CM. Vencedor can play the same role as Dani Garcia. Sancet is a more advanced CM, whilst Muniain can perform strongly as a more attack minded CM, and Raul Garcia can also drop back.
Potential upgrades: Mikel Merino and Ander Herrera stand out (the former more so due to age), but both are pricey. Javi Martinez at Qatar SC also a good short term option. 
Sideways moves: Jon Moncayolo at Osasuna is a great pick up, as is AImar Oroz who can develop well. Both could be good options for season 2 and could be better than what you have at the start of the game. Ruben Pardo at Leganes or many of the Real Sociedad midfielders are worth keeping an eye on, especially Jon Guridi and Ander Guevara, as they're likely to be transfer listed first.
Youth team prospects: Kepa Uriarte and Oier Zarraga are worth focussing on (the latter may be someone you decide on quicker as he's already 21).
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Dani Garcia, Oihan Sancet, Unai Lopez, Iker Muniain, Aimar Oroz, Peru Nolaskoain, Jon Moncayolo. Mikel Merino or Herrera if possible!! You would probably move Vesga on after the first season.

Attacking Midfield
Starting options: with Alex Berenguer, Jon Morcillo and Nico Williams, you are well set up with versatile attacking midfielders. Muniain and Inaki Williams are natural wide players too, but you may use them otherwise. Raul Garcia can play as an AMC, but can also play deeper and as a striker.
Potential upgrades: There's not really any realistic upgrades here, although Mikel Oyarzabal could be a long term target.
Sideways moves: Robert Torres at Osasuna will cost around 8m and at 32, you need to question the value. Still, he can play across the attacking midfield slots and should last a couple of seasons.
Youth team prospects: Nico Serrano needs a few years but looks very good. Juan Artola is on the cusp of the first team squad and keep an eye on how he develops. Ander Barrenetxea at Real Sociedad is a wonderkid but his release clause is way out of sight already. Robert Navarro at Real Sociedad probably will join and his release clause is very manageable.
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: you're likely to keep your current attacking midfield options besides Raul Garcia and work on finding a route for Serrano into the first team.

Strikers
Starting options: This has historically been the most difficult area, with Raul Garcia and Inaki Williams playing in less familiar positions, though if Villalibre comes good, this may solve a problem. Nico Williams is also an option. Inigo Vicente has interesting attributes, so you could retrain him when his loan expires (he's already a competent striker).
Potential upgrades: There's no one out there, unless Griezmann is transfer listed!
Sideways moves: Jon Bautista perhaps?
Youth team prospects: slim pickings within your own ranks. I'd like Ewan to be the first Scottish international who plays for Athletic Club, but it's unlikely. A few others in the various squads could develop - cross your fingers though. It's worth activating Jon Karrikaburu's release clause immediately. 
Likely players in 1-2 seasons: You'll need to make something work with Williams and Villalibre, or sign Karrikaburu. Other options are thin on the ground. Pray for good regens!!

Overall the main area to focus on transfer wise is the central midfield and left back areas - within these areas you can make sensible long term changes and secure your position in case regens aren't developing in those areas. We're fortunate to have some good options in game!

Other areas don't require much work initially, however be on the look out for good striking options. Your best bet is for a good regen or to retrain your best alternative. 

Edited October 27, 2021 by dothestrand

[bowieinspace]

WE BACK BABY

[bowieinspace]

Quick intro post from me about my save. I've decided to work on a specific tactical direction, at least unless this becomes completely unworkable as the game world develops/changes.

Firstly this year I wanted to go for a 3 at the back system - it's a formation I've never really explored and I wanted a new challenge this year. I also wanted to see what I could do with the new WCB role, and felt using 3 at the back utilised one of Athletic's strong areas with Martinez, Yeray, Nunez and Vivian all having quality. 

I've settled on a 3-4-3 variant with no full backs (ignore the specific line up here as it's not the strongest 11). With Ander Capa and Yuri beginning injured we lacked quality at wing back anyway. To counter the lack of wide defence I've utilised two WM's in midfield to offer slightly better coverage than wingers, alongside two wide centre backs, and a half back. I have the half back on the side of the more aggressive wide centre back for obvious reasons. We have also used the force opposition inside instruction to stretch our formation a bit wider. We press high with a high defensive line as well, opting for quicker transitional play with counter/counter press both included. With shorter passing and a balanced mentality, I wanted to use the counter option to speed up our attack situationally. Counter press is just a personal preference, and with this formation we tend to have good numbers in the right places to perform a counter press high up the pitch. In pre season friendlies I found we struggled against wide attacks, but after switching from a DM(D) to a half back, this seemed to help a lot. It's certainly something I'm keeping an eye on.

I like the idea of using shadow strikers with a false 9, but at least initially I don't want to do this due to the specific players we have up front. We might go that way at some stage, but for now I want to use Karikkaburu and Williams up front who are better playing more on the shoulder. In possession the goal is to have one more creative AM in the support role, with a more goal scoring AM in the other role. That player gets alongside the PF to add an additional threat. The WM's are set to sit narrower so they are more involved in general play (lining up with the shorter passing instruction), but then set to dribble wide with the ball to make sure we stretch the play and don't get too narrow in attack. 

We've started the season in excellent form, but we have overperformed slightly as well against xG. Even so, our form has been extremely promising and we deserve to be up near the top of the table. I'll update more later in the season there.

Transfers/contracts wise we handed out a load of new deals to up release clauses, including for Inigo Martinez, who despite his age was attracting interest from Newcastle and I didn't want to lose him (after losing him last year). I'm unsure about renewals for Yuri and Raul Garcia at this stage...the latter I almost certainly won't renew as I think his decline will be hefty, but Yuri I am unsure. He's on a high wage and I'd likely just retrain him to a WCB role to back up Martinez. I think by trimming the wage bill I can do more rebuilding next summer. We seem very light in central midfield (especially as we use two DMs), with Vesga, Vencedor and Dani Garcia the main 3 to pick from, so ideally I can trim enough off the wage bill and generate a budget to bring in someone there - ideally Merino but I'm scouting 4-5 options. I'll let De Marcos and Balenziaga go also...Dani Garcia will likely need to stick around for another year just due to a lack of depth and his fairly cheap wages.

Our only signing this summer was Karikkaburu for his release fee. He came into my save with determination of just 5 which is a real put off, but his potential looked really strong so I decided to gamble and see if Raul Garcia could mentor that number up a bit. His performances so far have been great, and his potential looks super high. Even if his determination remains low I think he'll be an excellent signing over time. 

Can't wait to play more on this one!

Edited October 26, 2021 by bowieinspace

[ernemann]

3 hours ago, dothestrand said:

Welcome to this year's Athletic Club thread. A few of us now have been making this our first and main FM save. In the next few posts, I'll outline why you should play as Athletic Club.

First, we start with the club's prestigious history. Then we move onto a detailed analysis of the first team. Next, we discuss the recruitment techniques to use to find promising Basque talents and the more established players who can improve the first team. After, we highlight the importance of Lezama and developing your own young players and finding pathways to the first team. Finally, we look ahead to the next few seasons and how your squad may change as you transition out the older players and bring new players in, either from Lezama or from outside.

Good luck everyone! 

ATHLETIC CLUB HISTORY

Athletic de Bilbao, historically, are the third most successful football club in Spain. As well as being one of only three clubs never relegated from the top division of La Liga – there are no prizes for knowing the other two – they are also third in the number of titles won over the years. Sadly for their supporters the last title was won, along with the Copa del Rey, as far back as 1984.

Most football followers know about the long-standing Basque only policy of Athletic, which has been the subject of much debate, but I suspect that fewer are aware of the benefit that this concentration on home-grown players has had to the Spanish national squad. Athletic Bilbao has had more players representing Spain than any other Spanish club – including Real Madrid and Barcelona. The club has continued its tradition of signing players born in the Basque provinces of Spain or France, although in the late 1980s this was broadened to include players who had moved to the region at a young age.

Athletic Bilbao Football Club - Founded in 1898 by a group of students from the Gymnasium Zamacois – who adopted the English spelling because they had studied in England – Athletic Bilbao merged with Bilbao Football Club, consisting of mainly ex miners from the north-east of England and shipyard workers from Portsmouth and Southampton, in 1902. After calling themselves Club Vizcaya for a season they reverted to the name Athletic Club de Bilbao in 1903. After playing in blue and white stripes for a few seasons, in 1910 they changed to the red and white they still play in today – the possible reasons for this can be found in the Atlético Madrid article, as the two clubs shared founders and have entwined early histories.

During the early years, the club was immediately successful, frequently winning the Copa del Rey title. The star player of the time is still remembered in Spanish football today as the leading scorer each year is known as the ‘Pichichi’, which is named after the Athletic player who once scored a hat-trick in a Cup Final.

The appointment of English coach Fred Pentland, El Bombín (the Bowler Hat) led to even more success. A great coaching innovator, who was also in charge of Atlético Madrid and the Spanish national team, Pentland was an early advocate of the style that became known in England, much later, as ‘push and run’ when introduced by Arthur Rowe with Tottenham Hotspur. He was not the only English manager employed by the club; in later years, Ronnie Allen and Howard Kendall also coached here. Their choices of headgear, though, went unrecorded! It is, however, known that Kendall found it so frustrating being unable to buy the players he wanted that it was cited as his major reason for leaving the club.

Under Pentland’s stewardship, Athletic won the League – of which the team were founder members in 1928 – and the cup on several occasions, doing the ‘double’ in both 1930 and 1931. In the second of these remarkable seasons, Barcelona were beaten by 12 goals to 1 in Bilbao – a result which is never likely to be repeated.

All of the games in Bilbao were played at the club’s present stadium, San Mamés, named after a nearby church. This has led to the stadium being known as ‘The Cathedral’, although the atmosphere – especially when Real Madrid are in town – can hardly be compared with one! As well as being known as the ‘Rojiblancos’ because of their colours the team is also referred to as ‘Los Leones’ (the lions) as St Mames himself was an early Christian that the lions had refused to kill.

There was a period when the club had to change its name to Atlético Bilbao, as a result of a decision by Franco to outlaw non-Spanish names and languages. During the 1950s, however, the government’s severe restrictions on foreign-born players in the league greatly helped the Basque club who won several league and cup titles in this time and, in 1956, entered the then-named European Cup for the first time. The club’s successes all helped give the Basque people a sense of identity at a time when they felt very isolated in Spain. There was a famous incident in December 1975, just 15 days after the death of Franco, in which Iribar and Kortabarria, rival captains of Athletic and Real Sociedad, carried the Basque flag – illegal at the time – onto the pitch before a local derby.

RECENT SUCCESS

Bilbao finished up their 2013-14 campaign with a fourth place finish and shot to secure Champion's League football, which they did with a victory over Napoli. Unfortunately Bilbao fell short, finishing third in their group behind both Shakhtar and FC Porto then later were knocked out of the EURO by Serie A side Torino. Bilbao managed to make it to the finals of the Copa del Ray as well, but once again fell short with a 3-1 loss to Barcelona. The club were able to get redemption however, with the ageless Artiz Aduriz scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2015-2016 Super Cup and also capturing a draw at Camp Nou later in the season. Aduriz ended his resurgent 2015-2016 season with 36 goals in all competitions and getting a call of to the Spain national team for Euro 2016. The club secured a spot in the EURO with a fifth place finish in the 2015-2016 season thanks to not only contributions from Aduriz, but also from some of their more promising first team youth players. 

In 2016-17 the club enjoyed another consistent season coached by Ernesto Valverde, finishing 7th in the league and requalifying for the Europa League (3rd qualifying round) for 2017-18. Heralded as a potential winner of the Europa League in 2016-17, the club lost in the round of 32 to Apoel Nicosia in a surprising result. Following the 2016-17 season, coach Ernesto Valverde moved on to Barcelona after a successful spell at the club. Athletic made the decision to promote Kuko Ziganda from the B team to take control of the first team squad, but sadly this didn't work out and he was removed from his position at the end of the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, the club moved to appoint Eduardo Berizzo to the helm alongside his backroom team. Berizzo has previously enjoyed a successful spell at Celta and a mixed spell at Sevilla previously, and is well known for his pressing style. Unfortunately Berizzo's style led to some promising football but poor results - ultimately he was removed and replaced by Gaizka Garitano. Garitano had been leading the B team - he brought about improved solidarity defensively in comparison to the leaky football seen under Berizzo, and led the team through impressive form for the remainder of the season, finishing just outside of the European qualification places.

The 2019-20 season started in glorious fashion, when Aduriz scored a sensational last minute scissor kick to defeat Barcelona at the San Mames. That was unfortunately as good as it got. Despite the season being interrupted by COVID-19, Athletic Club remained in European contention for most of the season, only for a poor run of form to derail them once the season resumed. Athletic Club finished a disappointing 11th, although they were only 5pts behind arch-rivals Real Sociedad, who finished 6th. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad both reached the Copa Del Rey final, the first Basque derby final ever. Held in April 2021, a disappointing performance saw Real Sociedad lift the trophy.

The 2020-21 season was another underwhelming year. Athletic Club finished in 10th, but with fewer points than the previous season, and a long way off the European places. They reached the Copa Del Rey final once more, but were hammered 4-0 by Barcelona. The pattern from the last few years is familiar now. Solid in defence but passive in attack. Alex Berenguer was the top  scorer in La Liga with a mere eight goals. The good news was the emergence of young players like Sancet, Vencedor and Morcillo. In that respect at least, the future appears brighter.

RIVALRIES

The largest one in Spain sees you facing Real Sociedad in a Basque derby. Other rivalries are with another Basque teams Eibar and Osasuna and also competitive rivalries with Barcelona and Real Madrid. Osasuna and Sociedad in particular are also the other main producers of Basque players, but good luck signing any of them. It's exceedingly difficult to pry players from one club to the other, which is how intense the rivalry is. When playing as Athletic, you can expect to sign players on the odd occasion from these clubs, and it gets easier if you're able to build a solid difference in reputation between the sides, however even at that stage, some players will refuse the move. This is something of an unexpected challenge to many newcomers to managing Athletic, in that the majority of Basque players capable of improving the team do not want to join.

WHY ATHLETIC CLUB?

It's one of the more challenging saves in all of FM, because you are limited to signing only players with Basque heritage or players in Spain who are no older than 16 years old. It forces you to focus on utilizing what you have in the squad to the best of their ability and developing your youth and figuring out what you want the DNA of the club to be long term. This offers two different ways to play as Athletic Club:

1) Use the signing of Spanish U16 players to provide a wider base to pick from, or for an added challenge...
2) Only sign Basque players of any age, and do not sign any spanish U16 players unless they already hold Basque nationality. 

Athletic Club have one of the best youth setups in the game, so you can churn out prospects to replenish your first team and keep it home grown. You aren't buying any trophies here with a Tycoon. You need to have a strong handle on youth development and be ready to integrate those younger players into the side. 

EXPECTATIONS

Athletic has very high standards and expectations. Here you can see you are expected to get into the Europa League as a primary target, and in future seasons, the club wants to be seen as 'the best of the best' and most probably competing for the 4th Champions League place. While doing this, you are required to focus on youth development and, of course, can only sign players of Basque nationality. These are ambitious targets but they are achievable.

Just so you know. Euro Cup II is the new UEFA Conference League not Europa League so not that hard demands 😏👍

[Vega09]

Really great introduction to Athletic and all aspects about the club and the squad. I wasn’t planning on getting FM this year, or at least not so soon. But reading this and knowing that if I were to manage any club it would be in Spain makes me want to get the game.

 

Do you know if Hugo Guillamon from Valencia is also a potential option? He was born in San Sebastián and moved to Valencia aged 2, but I’d assume that he should still have basque second nationality? 
 

Any tips as well for what formation or style of play works best with the squad? I’ve seen that IRL 442 is the preference, but it seems that the players are there for a 343, 4231 or 433. Are they best suited to a more counter-attack style of play , or Possession or Gegenpressing works too? 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Vega09

[ernemann]

22 minutes ago, Vega09 said:

Really great introduction to Athletic and all aspects about the club and the squad. I wasn’t planning on getting FM this year, or at least not so soon. But reading this and knowing that if I were to manage any club it would be in Spain makes me want to get the game.

 

Do you know if Hugo Guillamon from Valencia is also a potential option? He was born in San Sebastián and moved to Valencia aged 2, but I’d assume that he should still have basque second nationality? 
 

Any tips as well for what formation or style of play works best with the squad? I’ve seen that IRL 442 is the preference, but it seems that the players are there for a 343, 4231 or 433. Are they best suited to a more counter-attack style of play , or Possession or Gegenpressing works too? 

Hugo stands as born in Valencia in the game so he is not an option 😏

[bowieinspace]

57 minutes ago, Vega09 said:

Really great introduction to Athletic and all aspects about the club and the squad. I wasn’t planning on getting FM this year, or at least not so soon. But reading this and knowing that if I were to manage any club it would be in Spain makes me want to get the game.

 

Do you know if Hugo Guillamon from Valencia is also a potential option? He was born in San Sebastián and moved to Valencia aged 2, but I’d assume that he should still have basque second nationality? 
 

Any tips as well for what formation or style of play works best with the squad? I’ve seen that IRL 442 is the preference, but it seems that the players are there for a 343, 4231 or 433. Are they best suited to a more counter-attack style of play , or Possession or Gegenpressing works too? 

Yeah aside from his incorrect place of birth in the game (if you google him it comes up as the a suburb of Valencia also (I imagine that's where they plucked the info from - I will raise this in the data forum), but then all other sources say San Sebastian), I'm not sure on his eligibility to represent Athletic. Born in the region, but moved away at 2, so he wasn't 'formed' in the region. I couldn't find any information on his family/parents but I would imagine they weren't of Basque descent either? That would give him on scope to be eligible for Athletic. 

[Vega09]

47 minutes ago, ernemann said:

Hugo stands as born in Valencia in the game so he is not an option 😏

Just found that this was reported as a bug. Maybe it will change for the final release 🤷‍♂️ 

 

[bowieinspace]

Yeah was just gonna post this that it had been reported, also interesting that Alkorta has suggested he would indeed be eligible for Athletic. The Spain researcher didn't reply to say it had been fixed for full release, but lets hope. I may just spend a few dollars on the editor so I can amend it, and also adjust a couple other bugs like Griezmann's 80% yearly wage rise haha.

[angi94]

In terms of youth prospects this has to be one of the best years in recent memory for managing Athletic Club. 

N.B. Spoiler below contains hidden PA values for youth. prospects

Spoiler

Up to FIVE players available with -9 PA 

Nico Williams & Nico Serrano - Both already at the club 

Julen Jon Guerrero - Basque & can be signed from Madrid at the start 

Gavi & Luka Romero - Non-Basque U16s that can be signed from Barca & Lazio respectively (As long as you sign them in 1st window before they become too old)

 

 

Then THREE with -85 PA

Unai Vencedor - Already at the club

Jon Karrikaburu - Pay release clause to get from La Real

Christian Mosquera - Non-Basque U16

Edited October 27, 2021 by angi94

[bowieinspace]

Hey @angi94 can you please add appropriate spoiler stuff here? We don’t post that type of data as many don’t want to know

[angi94]

8 minutes ago, bowieinspace said:

Hey @angi94 can you please add appropriate spoiler stuff here? We don’t post that type of data as many don’t want to know

👍  Amended now

[bowieinspace]

11 minutes ago, angi94 said:

👍  Amended now

Thanks mate, maybe just add in your first line of text at the end (Note spoiler links below contain player PA abilities!), just to make it clear for people. Good to see you on the thread by the way, I saw you'd identified the data issue with Guillamon on the bugs forum so always nice to see Athletic players over here too

[angi94]

7 minutes ago, bowieinspace said:

Thanks mate, maybe just add in your first line of text at the end (Note spoiler links below contain player PA abilities!), just to make it clear for people. Good to see you on the thread by the way, I saw you'd identified the data issue with Guillamon on the bugs forum so always nice to see Athletic players over here too

Yes hope to see Hugo Guillamón added with Basque nationality when the full release comes out. Also by the same token I've always been dubious of Robin Le Normand, joined a Basque club as 19 but I can't really find anywhere that suggests he has any Basque heritage himself.

[Saras-13-Bodiroga]

What about Sancet this year? How is he developing? Does he have the huge last's year potential or is he downgraded?

[angi94]

2 hours ago, Saras-13-Bodiroga said:

What about Sancet this year? How is he developing? Does he have the huge last's year potential or is he downgraded?

I imagine so, I was only counting U-21s when I did the list 

[bowieinspace]

 

Hey guys, just FYI I’ve reported an error with non basque players coming in as player recommendations in scouting centre. They’re looking into it. Hopefully it’ll get fixed for full release but something to be aware of. 
 

I also posted in the feature requests forum about improving visual information about salary cap, as in my opinion it’s poorly done. You have to find this in squad registration rather than finance pages, and you can’t see salary cap info in the wage budget sections, on contract renewal screens or when making offers for players. 

[dothestrand]

Does the salary cap change depending on how well you perform, etc.? Having Martinez, Yuri, Raul Garcia, Muniain and Williams on big salaries have given me little room to expand the squad.

I signed a GK on 2.5k per week but apparently I can't register him because he doesn't earn the minimum salary of 2.5k per week???? If I try to offer him a new contract to give him a wage to be registered, he won't accept as he only just signed a new deal!

[warlock]

2 hours ago, dothestrand said:

Does the salary cap change depending on how well you perform, etc.?

Don't think so, at least not directly related to on-field success. As I understand it, the cap is 70% of total club turnover, so related to financial performance. Obviously, there's some link - Champion's League prize money can boost  your income and therefore raise your cap. A recent real-world article here:

La Liga salary limit: Cap of every club revealed as Barcelona forced to slash costs | FootballTransfers.com

If it's implemented fully in FM, Valencia are going to be a total basket case this year. 

[bowieinspace]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Don't think so, at least not directly related to on-field success. As I understand it, the cap is 70% of total club turnover, so related to financial performance. Obviously, there's some link - Champion's League prize money can boost  your income and therefore raise your cap. A recent real-world article here:

La Liga salary limit: Cap of every club revealed as Barcelona forced to slash costs | FootballTransfers.com

If it's implemented fully in FM, Valencia are going to be a total basket case this year. 

 

@dothestrand If you have any issues with salary cap stuff  use my thread here
 

i Feel the more attention the thread gets the more likely we are to see adjustments with it

Edited October 29, 2021 by bowieinspace

[WanderersWay]

On 27/10/2021 at 23:44, angi94 said:

In terms of youth prospects this has to be one of the best years in recent memory for managing Athletic Club. 

N.B. Spoiler below contains hidden PA values for youth. prospects

  Reveal hidden contents

Up to FIVE players available with -9 PA 

Nico Williams & Nico Serrano - Both already at the club 

Julen Jon Guerrero - Basque & can be signed from Madrid at the start 

Gavi & Luka Romero - Non-Basque U16s that can be signed from Barca & Lazio respectively (As long as you sign them in 1st window before they become too old)

 

 

Then THREE with -85 PA

Unai Vencedor - Already at the club

Jon Karrikaburu - Pay release clause to get from La Real

Christian Mosquera - Non-Basque U16

Luka Romero is Argentinian so can't be signed unfortunately, it's only Spanish U16s that are able to be signed whilst being 'non-Basque'

[angi94]

8 minutes ago, WanderersWay said:

Luka Romero is Argentinian so can't be signed unfortunately, it's only Spanish U16s that are able to be signed whilst being 'non-Basque'

You can sign him, but it's certainly not as straightforward as the others on the list, Romero is indeed Argentinian but he also has Mexico & Spain listed as 2nd nationalities.

To sign him:

1. Start a save with BOTH Club & International team. For the club side choose Athletic (Obviously) and then for the international team you need to pick either Spain, Spain U21s or Spain U19s.

2. By managing one of Spain's national sides you will be able to ask him to represent nation, do this and he will go away and say he needs to think about it.

3. Within a couple of days he will come back to you and say he is switching allegiances to Spain, after which you are then able to bid for him with your club side. Even though he's only just joined Lazio he will be interested in signing because he's on a Youth Deal.

Boom your sorted.

 

[bowieinspace]

2 hours ago, angi94 said:

You can sign him, but it's certainly not as straightforward as the others on the list, Romero is indeed Argentinian but he also has Mexico & Spain listed as 2nd nationalities.

To sign him:

1. Start a save with BOTH Club & International team. For the club side choose Athletic (Obviously) and then for the international team you need to pick either Spain, Spain U21s or Spain U19s.

2. By managing one of Spain's national sides you will be able to ask him to represent nation, do this and he will go away and say he needs to think about it.

3. Within a couple of days he will come back to you and say he is switching allegiances to Spain, after which you are then able to bid for him with your club side. Even though he's only just joined Lazio he will be interested in signing because he's on a Youth Deal.

Boom your sorted.

 

That’s remarkably complicated for someone who would never be eligible for athletic in real life 😂

[angi94]

21 minutes ago, bowieinspace said:

That’s remarkably complicated for someone who would never be eligible for athletic in real life 😂

 

Maybe not in real life, but that dude has one of the best mullets in world football, definitely worth making an exception to the rule

 

[Jogo Bonito]

Not a team on my agenda (too many already) but that's a fantastic set of introductory posts, bravo 

[bowieinspace]

1 hour ago, angi94 said:

 

 

1 hour ago, angi94 said:

Maybe not in real life, but that dude has one of the best mullets in world football, definitely worth making an exception to the rule

 

Omg sign him up haha

[bowieinspace]

Will do a full season update later as I’m not fully finished yet, but just got a budget of 8.5mil and no increase in wage budget for season 2, having qualified for champions league…not ideal! Although I remember last year the second season budget was terrible too. Was hoping to add a player in the summer but doesn’t look likely now sadly!

[bowieinspace]

2021/22 Season Review - What Just Happened?

 

Here we are with my first season review! Let's start with the basics:

Signings - Jon Karikkaburu for his release clause (18 million gbp), Julen Jon Guerrero for 11.5 million gbp. 
Sales - Inigo Lekue 1.2mil, Yuri 2.8mil (I decided not to renew his contract so sold in December for cheap), Balenziaga 250k, De Marcos 250k, Capa (pending) 10mil

I got rid of basically all of my full backs as we are not using them, but also they're either of squad filler ability only or are ageing badly, so it made sense to opt for the 3-4-3 without full backs.

Results

After a remarkable season, we ended up winning the title! We were 2 points behind going into the final day and Real Madrid lost 2-0 against Levante, while we destroyed Valencia 4-1. I thought for sure the title was out of reach but they messed it up, gaining only 2 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat from their final 6 games. We were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey in the 5th round by Barca, and also lost to them in the Supercopa semi finals. 

 

Squad Performance

 

As you can see some surprising star performers, but this is partly match engine/tactical I think as well. My wide midfielders dominated the average ratings (see top 3). Berenguer was a revelation this season in particular, doing bits both wide right and also as an AM (A). Morcillo on the left excelled in the WM role, keeping Nico Williams to mostly sub appearances. Raul Garcia also worthy of an honourable mention for his goal scoring prowess in the AM (A) role, although he declined a fair bit and didn't play much in the second half of the season. 

One of my most enjoyable seasons on FM. Not just a successful one but with a 3 at the back system using the new wide centre backs role, it was just fun. I don't think I've won the league in the first season playing as Athletic in my recent memory at least - I might have done it once at some stage but I don't remember it to be honest. Excited for the Champions League adventure next season! We don't have much in the way of funds to bolster the squad, so it'll likely be the same bunch again next year - at least we have lots of fantastic potential to develop. Bilbao Athletic also got promoted so a fantastic season all in all.

Oh and youth intake - I won't post screenshots of all the candidates, but it was a good batch. hard to say how good a few will be but I hope this years intake will lead to maybe 2 first team regulars in the future. I don't think any will be megastars, but it was an intake with decent depth and the top guys had 3.5 gold star potential

Edited October 30, 2021 by bowieinspace

[angi94]

1 hour ago, bowieinspace said:

2021/22 Season Review - What Just Happened?

 

Here we are with my first season review! Let's start with the basics:

Signings - Jon Karikkaburu for his release clause (18 million gbp), Julen Jon Guerrero for 11.5 million gbp. 
Sales - Inigo Lekue 1.2mil, Yuri 2.8mil (I decided not to renew his contract so sold in December for cheap), Balenziaga 250k, De Marcos 250k, Capa (pending) 10mil

I got rid of basically all of my full backs as we are not using them, but also they're either of squad filler ability only or are ageing badly, so it made sense to opt for the 3-4-3 without full backs.

Results

After a remarkable season, we ended up winning the title! We were 2 points behind going into the final day and Real Madrid lost 2-0 against Levante, while we destroyed Valencia 4-1. I thought for sure the title was out of reach but they messed it up, gaining only 2 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat from their final 6 games. We were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey in the 5th round by Barca, and also lost to them in the Supercopa semi finals. 

 

Squad Performance

 

As you can see some surprising star performers, but this is partly match engine/tactical I think as well. My wide midfielders dominated the average ratings (see top 3). Berenguer was a revelation this season in particular, doing bits both wide right and also as an AM (A). Morcillo on the left excelled in the WM role, keeping Nico Williams to mostly sub appearances. Raul Garcia also worthy of an honourable mention for his goal scoring prowess in the AM (A) role, although he declined a fair bit and didn't play much in the second half of the season. 

One of my most enjoyable seasons on FM. Not just a successful one but with a 3 at the back system using the new wide centre backs role, it was just fun. I don't think I've won the league in the first season playing as Athletic in my recent memory at least - I might have done it once at some stage but I don't remember it to be honest. Excited for the Champions League adventure next season! We don't have much in the way of funds to bolster the squad, so it'll likely be the same bunch again next year - at least we have lots of fantastic potential to develop. Bilbao Athletic also got promoted so a fantastic season all in all.

Oh and youth intake - I won't post screenshots of all the candidates, but it was a good batch. hard to say how good a few will be but I hope this years intake will lead to maybe 2 first team regulars in the future. I don't think any will be megastars, but it was an intake with decent depth and the top guys had 3.5 gold star potential

WOW seriously impressive first season, can you show us some screenshots of the young players that developed the most ?

Particularly interested in how Karrikaburru got on, as it's been so hard to develop quality strikers in recent FMs with Athletic Club (excl. re-gens)

[Vega09]

On 28/10/2021 at 00:44, angi94 said:

In terms of youth prospects this has to be one of the best years in recent memory for managing Athletic Club. 

N.B. Spoiler below contains hidden PA values for youth. prospects

  Hide contents

Up to FIVE players available with -9 PA 

Nico Williams & Nico Serrano - Both already at the club 

Julen Jon Guerrero - Basque & can be signed from Madrid at the start 

Gavi & Luka Romero - Non-Basque U16s that can be signed from Barca & Lazio respectively (As long as you sign them in 1st window before they become too old)

 

 

Then THREE with -85 PA

Unai Vencedor - Already at the club

Jon Karrikaburu - Pay release clause to get from La Real

Christian Mosquera - Non-Basque U16

Would it actually be possible to sign Mosquera, as he turns 17 before the transfer window opens?

 

12 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Will do a full season update later as I’m not fully finished yet, but just got a budget of 8.5mil and no increase in wage budget for season 2, having qualified for champions league…not ideal! Although I remember last year the second season budget was terrible too. Was hoping to add a player in the summer but doesn’t look likely now sadly!

Really great results! Could the low budget increase be linked to the things that have been implemented to try to reflect Covid and generally poor worldwide finances?

 

I've finally gone and bought FM22. I will be playing a test save with another team until the full game is out and then likely to start one with Athletic. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Vega09

[bowieinspace]

7 hours ago, angi94 said:

WOW seriously impressive first season, can you show us some screenshots of the young players that developed the most ?

Particularly interested in how Karrikaburru got on, as it's been so hard to develop quality strikers in recent FMs with Athletic Club (excl. re-gens)

Thanks! Karikkaburu has been well worth the release fee, he’s improved a lot and performed well during the season. I can do some screenshots and send you privately if you want. I try to avoid anything too spoiler heavy on here though. Just lemme know who you want to see.

 

33 minutes ago, Vega09 said:

Really great results! Could the low budget increase be linked to the things that have been implemented to try to reflect Covid and generally poor worldwide finances?

Yeah entirely possible. I did spend a bit in my first season, utilising my budget pretty fully, but now I’ve sold Capa and reduced the wage bill with the departure of Raul Garcia I do have a bit of budget flexibility, but not enough to acquire the type of player I actually want. Considering Moncayola as he’s the only DM I could actually afford. 

However even with my cost saving above my balance is terrible. Hoping things will improve during the season with champions league money. 

[angi94]

1 hour ago, Vega09 said:

Would it actually be possible to sign Mosquera, as he turns 17 before the transfer window opens?

 

Really great results! Could the low budget increase be linked to the things that have been implemented to try to reflect Covid and generally poor worldwide finances?

 

I've finally gone and bought FM22. I will be playing a test save with another team until the full game is out and then likely to start one with Athletic. 

Yes as long as you offer the contract before he turns 17 it doesn't matter. Just make sure you have a league loaded with a start date before 27th June (Mosquera's birthday)

[Vega09]

13 hours ago, angi94 said:

Yes as long as you offer the contract before he turns 17 it doesn't matter. Just make sure you have a league loaded with a start date before 27th June (Mosquera's birthday)

Thanks, good to know if signing other u-16 players too. 

[dothestrand]

The 2021-22 season is done and it was a tough slog to finish 6th. The board were happy at least. Not sure I was. What that table doesn't show you is that our GD of +7 was based on scoring 39 goals and conceding 32. Not a lot for the fans to enjoy, though I probably set us up too cautiously. That toothlessness up top needs to improve quickly. We reached the Super Cup final, losing to Real Madrid. Malaga dumped us out of the Spanish Cup in the fourth round.

The season didn't start well with those first three opening games, and we hit some decent form after that. But it was largely an inconsistent season. Only Inaki Williams and Vesga averaged over 7, though Muniain, Simon and Sancet weren't much below. The defence all scored in the 6.5 ballpark despite being tight at the back. Martinez has started to decline rapidly - he had a long injury - and I'm hoping the interest he had across the season that didn't materialise into offers, comes back, as I'd like to move him on. His wages are killing us. Vivian was on loan at Dortmund and was very good. 

I re-signed Dani Garcia and Yuri but would like to move them on - I signed Munoz when Yuri had his long injury. Raul Garcia moved on in January. Aguirregabiria was a cheap pick-up to replace De Marcos. Balenziaga also left. So, we've tried to move the older squad players out as soon as we could.

Sangalli is coming in on a free from Real Sociedad and should replace Dani Garcia. We had a good youth intake and have found a few other kids at lower league Basque clubs like Betono and Kelme - I usually take a punt based on their personality type if they're cheap.

The B team won their division too, so will be in the second tier, which means these guys will be playing at a higher level than before, which should aid the development of the younger players.

The end of the first season is usually a transitional Summer as I put my own stamp on the side, making big changes to the staff and players once you've got a bit of money and longer transfer windows to work with. Bringing the wage budget down is key as our overall balance just nosedives in that first season and you're left with very little room for manoeuvre with transfers. My main job is to start that second season is better shape than we began the first - we're getting there.

EDIT: I managed to move Martinez, Yuri and Dani Garcia on - that alone saved 265k per week in wages. Didn't make as much on those deals as I'd have liked, but it managed to get me Jon Moncayola at least.

Edited November 1, 2021 by dothestrand

[bowieinspace]

7 hours ago, dothestrand said:

The 2021-22 season is done and it was a tough slog to finish 6th. The board were happy at least. Not sure I was. What that table doesn't show you is that our GD of +7 was based on scoring 39 goals and conceding 32. Not a lot for the fans to enjoy, though I probably set us up too cautiously. That toothlessness up top needs to improve quickly. We reached the Super Cup final, losing to Real Madrid. Malaga dumped us out of the Spanish Cup in the fourth round.

The season didn't start well with those first three opening games, and we hit some decent form after that. But it was largely an inconsistent season. Only Inaki Williams and Vesga averaged over 7, though Muniain, Simon and Sancet weren't much below. The defence all scored in the 6.5 ballpark despite being tight at the back. Martinez has started to decline rapidly - he had a long injury - and I'm hoping the interest he had across the season that didn't materialise into offers, comes back, as I'd like to move him on. His wages are killing us. Vivian was on loan at Dortmund and was very good. 

I re-signed Dani Garcia and Yuri but would like to move them on - I signed Munoz when Yuri had his long injury. Raul Garcia moved on in January. Aguirregabiria was a cheap pick-up to replace De Marcos. Balenziaga also left. So, we've tried to move the older squad players out as soon as we could.

Sangalli is coming in on a free from Real Sociedad and should replace Dani Garcia. We had a good youth intake and have found a few other kids at lower league Basque clubs like Betono and Kelme - I usually take a punt based on their personality type if they're cheap.

The B team won their division too, so will be in the second tier, which means these guys will be playing at a higher level than before, which should aid the development of the younger players.

The end of the first season is usually a transitional Summer as I put my own stamp on the side, making big changes to the staff and players once you've got a bit of money and longer transfer windows to work with. Bringing the wage budget down is key as our overall balance just nosedives in that first season and you're left with very little room for manoeuvre with transfers. My main job is to start that second season is better shape than we began the first - we're getting there.

EDIT: I managed to move Martinez, Yuri and Dani Garcia on - that alone saved 265k per week in wages. Didn't make as much on those deals as I'd have liked, but it managed to get me Jon Moncayola at least.

Not a bad season, and sounds like you're setting yourself up well with the wage cuts. Moncayola and Sangalli are sensible pick ups and I considered both also, ultimately decided against them but I would have been happy with them on the right terms. I'm interested to hear how Sangalli gets on for you - I've always admired his attribute spread and he has a good personality too, but I've never pulled the trigger to pick him up.

[bowieinspace]

Bit of classic beta comedy....

All but 5 of my b team go on holiday for the month of November (in line with the first team squad - Qatar World Cup year), despite having a busy fixture schedule of Liga 2 games in November. First game we line up with a load of generated players, and a goalkeeper playing right wing. Beat Malaga 2-1.

[JPKD]

3 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Bit of classic beta comedy....

All but 5 of my b team go on holiday for the month of November (in line with the first team squad - Qatar World Cup year), despite having a busy fixture schedule of Liga 2 games in November. First game we line up with a load of generated players, and a goalkeeper playing right wing. Beat Malaga 2-1.

That is excellent. 

I've got the beginnings of a nice little Athletic save going on the beta. I usually play a beta game with Athletic to sit back and take a 'tactical' head coach role whereby I focus on the match engine and tactics in the new game, leaving recruitment and to a lesser extent player development for when the full gaem releases. This year however the beta game is going so well I can't see myself putting it down for a while. After and abandoned save with a strikerless 3-4-3 and wide centre backs I've got more of a Bielsa influence 4-3-3 going on. Much like the classic Athletic side of 2010-11 there are flying wing backs, Vencedor in a half back role behind runners from midfield. The difference is up front where I am runing a lobsided front 2 and a winger. This is laregly to accomodate Raul Garcia as the central attacking player and Inaki as a PF-A on the shoulder of the last man. Garcia has been underwhelming, especially in big games, but Williams has 10 in 10 despite rarely playing the full 90. His finishing is deadly and he has a number of headed goals where he ends up against a full back. 

All this has lead me to 2nd in the table after 11 games, one defeat to Celta Vigo away and victories over Barca and Atleti. The Atleti game being one of the worst I've seen on FM. Both sides with an xG under 0.3, Simeone playing a 5-4-1 and Williams stealing the game in the 60th minute. Barca meanwhile I caught cold on the first day of the season, out-passing and out-playing them to win 3-2 with 2 goals from Dani Garcia of all people. I think he had 3 goals in almost 400 career appearances prior to the brace. 

I'm not getting much of a tune out of Raul Garcia and like others have said question whether Martinez is justifying his wages in defence. I disabled transfers in the first window but now it's November and the usual mob of PSG, Liverpool and Madrid are taking a look at the red hot Inaki Williams. He is justifyably indespensible and not for sale at any price. I still think I can get more from Muniain, I have tried him as an Inverted Winger, tried to get him the ball more as an AP, currently he is in the middle of midfield as a CM-A but I think a Mezzalla role would help him see more of the ball. His most recent impact on the game was to head over the bar form 5 yards vs Sevilla as we slipped to a 1-1 draw and allowed Madrid back to the top of the table. 

[dothestrand]

10 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Not a bad season, and sounds like you're setting yourself up well with the wage cuts. Moncayola and Sangalli are sensible pick ups and I considered both also, ultimately decided against them but I would have been happy with them on the right terms. I'm interested to hear how Sangalli gets on for you - I've always admired his attribute spread and he has a good personality too, but I've never pulled the trigger to pick him up.

I copped a bit of heat from the senior players for letting Dani Garcia go (less bothered about Inigo for some reason?) but hopefully I've ridden that out.

Yep, I like Sangalli's personality, and whilst he's not the most technically gifted player, his physicals and mentals make up for it, especially as he's a squad option, rather than a starter. Moncayola is nice and versatile for a deeper midfielder, can either be a ball-winner or more of a DLP. I should have some good rotation options with those two, Vesga, Vencedor and Sancet.

I'm going to experiment with a three at the back during the friendlies as a tactical curveball - and I'm trying to bring in Bustinza in as a cheap CB option (again, good personality) to enable that. Trying to work out whether to go with AMCs like Muniain and Sancet, or wide midfielders - just because I've got loads (Cordoba had a good loan, so I brought him back) is something to think about. But 4-3-3 is likely to be the starting formation in most games.

Although I had a good intake, there were some promising youngsters in the starting game. Paredes, Nunez, Imanol, Grande, Prados, Artola, Zarraga, etc. will be the main guys in the B side and maybe this will kick them on a bit. Some of the slightly younger players like Vicandi, Bita, Arenal, Clemente, etc. will hopefully come good too.

 

 

[Undy]

I've just gone into my first ever Bilbao save for 22 and so far struggling to find a tactic I really like. It seems like getting the best out of Williams and Muniain is the key at least in the short term but their productivity has been poor whatever I try - especially Williams. The players we have suggests wingers / wide midfielders, but with no one to get on the end of crosses they're rather wasted out there. Going to try Muniain as an advanced playmaker through the middle with Williams as a poacher in the left forward position and Raul Garcia as a shadow striker in the right AMC. 

I instinctively want to build my CM/DM axis around Vencedor but again not figured out how to maximise his productivity yet. I always want to use regista when I have a DM with decent creative stats but have never reaped any great rewards from it across all my saves. In a slightly controversial move I've given Raul Garcia a contact extension, albeit on a heavily reduced wage with reasonable performance bonuses. He'll probably play the SS role or similar this season before Muniain takes it over and Sancet moves to the playmaker role. 

[ernemann]

So finally I finished the first season ended as second after Real Madrid and despite leading the league for a while Im quite happy with this season. Balenziaga left for Nimes in january and De Marcos went to Bremen, while Villalibre were loaned out to St Etienne. After this season Raul Garcia despite being our topscorer together with Inaki with 13 goals wont get a new contract and will leave the club.

In the Cup we went out to Sporting Gijon after penalties and we lost the final in Supercopa, but the main thing is that we are back in the Champions League Now try to play one more season before the game comes out Tuesday maybe we will make it great in the CL

Edited November 4, 2021 by ernemann

[Undy]

Well, it's now the midway point in the season, nineteen games in and we're doing really well sitting in third, but I must say I'm still not happy tactically. 

We've played roughly half the time with a 4-3-3 DM Wide - data hub is giving a clear cut chance for us every 76 minutes and against us every 203 minutes, but my experience from the games is that we create a high amount of low-quality chances, and with no natural centre-forward in the team our conversation rate has been below expected. I also think we've been lucky defensively, with our back four often scrambling to snuff out counter-attacks. I don't think we have the quality and depth at wing back for this to be a sustainable tactic for us in the long term either.

My next most commonly used tactic is a slightly lopsided 3-2-2-2-1 - image shows Williams as a dead central poacher but this is a recent evolution - he'd normally been starting just off the to the left with the intention of cutting in for shots on his right foot, but this was causing him to drift wider than I'd like to punt hail-mary crosses to no one in the box. Interestingly though the data hub is saying that with him offset (412 minutes played total), we created a chance every 51 minutes and conceded a chance against every 412 minutes - after moving him centrally though we've created zero clear cut chances and conceded one against in the 177 total minutes played. I think the relatively low number of minutes played in this formation is corrupting the data quality a little. From watching the games, we can struggle a bit against teams playing with four wide players. Typically I'll instruct the two half-backs to man-mark the opposition full-backs, allowing the two WCBs to pick up the wingers / wide midfielders. This still causes challenges against a 4-4-2 though where Nunez is left to pick up the two centre forwards.

To combat the 4-4-2 issue (and similar issues against 4-2-3-1 etc), I shook the formation up a bit for the last match away to Elche (a 2-1 win for us).

The theory is that instructing the two wide midfielders to man-mark the full backs will free up the two DMs to protect Nunez when the WCBs pick up opposition wingers. I've opted for two up top because I've found lone strikers to be highly unproductive so far. Kept Muniain in the CAM position to compensate for the slightly deeper-sitting WMs, and switched Vesga to the VOL role to occupy some of the empty space in CM, though I'm so far uncomfortable with the relative loss of defensive cover from losing one half-back and not sure he's filling the gap particularly effectively either. I've been trying to play on the front foot but have so far found my front three with little space to work in so have moved my lines progressively deeper as the season has gone on. I really want to develop the tactic around the WCB roles as the two of them bringing the ball out from a deep defence seems a good way to draw opposition midfielders towards them, creating space for my forward players to move into. HBs cover for them really well in those situations too; I've rarely if ever seen us caught out from a WCB out of position. Finding a way to address our terrible wastefulness in possession and in front of goal will be key to improving the tactic, as some of the data analysis shows...

Overall I should be happy, even if some of our luck wears off over the second half of the season we're unlikely to finish below expectations. I just can't be happy with the wastefulness in the final third, and struggling to find a real solution for it. I've got Karrikaburu joining in the January window but he looks too raw to be setting the league on fire any time soon. One area that is absolutely doing my head in, and this could be a match engine issue as much as anything else, is set pieces, particularly attacking corners and free kicks. We are not and are not going to be the best in the air, so I've tried working short routines to no success at all. Most of the time if I take a short corner, the player receiving passes it straight back to the taker in an offside position. There's only so many times I can click the "berate" button. It really doesn't seem to matter what combination of players I put in the corner either - if I put a DM as taker and a winger as the short option it should be clear that the winger is expected to find a better angle for a cross or drive at the box, but still he'll just pass it back to the offside DM! Corners to the edge of the box are equally fruitless. I don't want to go scouting for 6'4 15 year olds I can hoover into the youth system but I'm really at my wit's end with this. Speaking of youth, I'm looking forward to seeing how many usable players come through in the "golden generation" my HOYD has told me to expect.

[dothestrand]

Just finished the 2022-23 season and that was much better - we finished 3rd and therefore qualified for the CL - which was just as well because Real Sociedad finished 2nd, so we didn't want them to have bragging rights over us. Again, the 'random' scheduling meant our start wasn't ideal, but we started to put good sequences of results together. And it makes a huge difference at the back end of the season when you know you've winnable games - 16pts from the last six meant we could catch Valencia up!

Interestingly, this was our best XI by pure averages. Usually, it was actually Muniain and Williams either side of Karrikaburu - who again was a mixed bag. I think I signed him at the bottom end of his varied potential. He's not kicking on much. 

Sangalli was a superb pick-up though - he became a key part of my centre midfield. He should come up on a free at the end of the first season - snap him up! Vivian is also developing nicely; probably my best CB now and I'm tempted to make him captain soon. 

Transfer business was quite light - Bustinza came in on the cheap for CB depth, Ivan Martin for midfield versatility on loan (with a 7m optional fee, which we're 50/50 on), Jon Julen Guerrero (for 3m) and some young regens - often from tiny clubs! Another good youth intake means our reserve and youth sides have some great talent developing.

No real departures apart from loans for first team football, but we'll start a mini-clear out of the older B team guys and Vesga should leave now. We only have a small transfer budget even with CL qualification but there aren't too many options out there at this stage.

This becomes the point where CL qualification should be the norm, especially now Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have regressed. 

[Gregisawesome13]

Feel like the first season is just deciding to go in on Ander Herrera or purchase Karrikaburu and Munoz. 

[Undy]

1 hour ago, Gregisawesome13 said:

Feel like the first season is just deciding to go in on Ander Herrera or purchase Karrikaburu and Munoz. 

I couldn't get Karrikaburu until January because he had zero interest in talking in the summer, so my only new addition for the first half of the first season was Jon Julen who's been in the reserves. Funnily enough as soon as Karrikaburu is on the bench Villalibre has started showing up a bit, scoring a hat trick in the last game. This does coincide with my formation change and him playing up top alongside Raul Garcia. 

I'm making rather slow progress because my tactical tinkering and trying to figure out the match engine has led to the annoying compulsion of watching every match on full detail, only switching down to key highlights to see out a game that I'm winning comfortably. What a pleasure it is seeing Yeray bursting forward from the right CB position though, even when it does come to nothing. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by Undy

[JPKD]

4 hours ago, Undy said:

I'm making rather slow progress because my tactical tinkering and trying to figure out the match engine has led to the annoying compulsion of watching every match on full detail, only switching down to key highlights to see out a game that I'm winning comfortably. What a pleasure it is seeing Yeray bursting forward from the right CB position though, even when it does come to nothing. 

Slightly off topic but I think this is essential to building a good tactic. Even comprehensive highlights give a warped view of the game. You need to watch the full match to understand so many areas of build up play, how do both team distribute from the back, how passive is the possession of each side, is your pressing strategy effective? Are certain players/ roles too far forward/back in build up. I'm sure some people think this is obvious but the ME has surprised me in the past. And as you say I love the way the CBs carry the ball in to midfield now.

 

Back to my Athletic save to stay on topic. I'm February of season one and 2nd. Adrift of an unstoppable Madrid but well clear of Sociedad, Villarreal (though Emery just went Newcastle) and Barca. Overcame a January blip where I lost away to Madrid and had to play Barca back to back. 

Muniain and Villalibre are both yet to score a league goal. Garcia is behind Inaki but I'm not sure what to do about a contract for him. Yuri left for Newcastle and they put him on 81k while I got 4.5 mill and fought of a Muniain led mutiny. I'm yet to spend in the market, having started with no transfers in the first window. 

Only a spectacular collapse would see us miss Champions League football from here. But I don't expect a huge transfer kitty based on this thread. 

[bowieinspace]

2 hours ago, JPKD said:

Slightly off topic but I think this is essential to building a good tactic. Even comprehensive highlights give a warped view of the game. You need to watch the full match to understand so many areas of build up play, how do both team distribute from the back, how passive is the possession of each side, is your pressing strategy effective? Are certain players/ roles too far forward/back in build up. I'm sure some people think this is obvious but the ME has surprised me in the past. And as you say I love the way the CBs carry the ball in to midfield now.

 

Back to my Athletic save to stay on topic. I'm February of season one and 2nd. Adrift of an unstoppable Madrid but well clear of Sociedad, Villarreal (though Emery just went Newcastle) and Barca. Overcame a January blip where I lost away to Madrid and had to play Barca back to back. 

Muniain and Villalibre are both yet to score a league goal. Garcia is behind Inaki but I'm not sure what to do about a contract for him. Yuri left for Newcastle and they put him on 81k while I got 4.5 mill and fought of a Muniain led mutiny. I'm yet to spend in the market, having started with no transfers in the first window. 

Only a spectacular collapse would see us miss Champions League football from here. But I don't expect a huge transfer kitty based on this thread. 

Probably don’t expect much. If you’ve not spent anything and have shifted Yuri off the wage bill you might get close to 20mil if you’re lucky. I’m midway through second season having shifted a lot of people off the wage bill (Garcia, Yuri, De Marcos, Capa, Villalibre, Dani Garcia to name a few, I might be missing 1-2). My financial balance has remained healthy all season whereas first season it was constantly dropping. I expect my budget for season 3 will be an improvement, despite spending reasonable money on Aimar Oroz this year, and Guerrero and Karikkaburu last season.