Malaga-Madness - FM22

[Unigo]

Introduction
Every year i tell myself: i should write about a save, that will sure keep me motivated! And, forces me to think about what i’m doing, instead of signing players without properly thinking about their place in the team. A few years I've tried, but all those topics have died an early death after 2-3 posts. Let’s see if i can hang on this time!

So, what are we going to do? I’ve taken Malaga. I’ve played Football Manager for quite some years now, but I've never had a proper save in Spain so far. I didn’t want to take over a first division club, Malaga seems like an entertaining one. They are not predicted to finish 1st (by a long shot, current prediction is 9th), but do have great training and youth facilities, which is appealing. Also a good size stadium and no debt are appealing. To be honest, I didn't expect Malaga to be in the second division in Spain, the history and stature of the club are bigger than that. Not when it comes to silverware, but they have had a decent spell in the 1st division in the last 10 years.

Now, for this save I've taken a lot of inspiration from ThrowingcopperFM, at https://asymmetric-football.com/2021/11/02/girona-fc-fm22-analysis-tactics-soccernomics-part-one/. I like the way he uses a wage-budget, uses attribute-gates, and on top of that he’s a great writer. I probably won’t be as good as him, but he sure was an inspiration for this save. 

Since I intend to stick to this save and don’t want to give up (or get sacked) when it all goes badly, I've made myself ‘unsackable’. Other than that I won't tamper with the editor.

Tactical foundations
Every year I end up using some form of a 4-3-3 with a defending midfielder. I’ve experimented with other tactics, but always come back to 4 defenders, a quite congested midfield, one striker and some wingers to support or cut in. So, instead of forcing myself to experiment and fail, I'm going for a 4-3-3 in this save as well. We’ll likely keep working on the tactic during the seasons, but for now i’m going for this:

So, what’s the thought process:

1. I've been holding back with the team instructions, first i wanna see how this bare-bones set up works. I don’t want to overload my players with instructions if it’s not needed.
2. I like pressing, but don’t want to overdo it. So i’ve set up a higher line of engagement, combined with a higher defensive line to keep the midfield compact. I’ve instructed the team to counter-press, but have not set the trigger-press to more urgent. I might in the future if the pressing is too weak, but I want to see what this does first.
3. To (hopefully) counter the space behind the defense we have our goalkeeper on sweeper-keeper. I’m hoping on him picking up the balls over the defense, in combination with the pace of one of our central defenders.
4. I like a high-tempo ball progression, but don’t want long passes because (i recon) that might lead to loss of possession. So, the team instruction is set to higher tempo - shorter passing. I’ve given the attacking playmaker the instruction to use more direct passing, because it compliments his role and ability.
5. When it comes to defending I'm banking on my two central defenders and the assistance of the defending midfielder. The right fullback should be back in defense often enough to do his job, the left wingback is where the risks lie. For now i’ll keep my left central defender on CD-defend, without instructions. I might need to instruct him to stay wider or go for a stopping mentality to counter for the (likely) absence of the left Wingback. It’s a thing to keep an eye on, it also depends on what the defending midfielder plays like.
6. For the attack i’m counting on the playmaker to distribute the ball. Because of his advanced role and more direct passing he should be able to reach both wingers, any advancing backs, the attacking midfielder and the deep-lying forward with one pass. The deep-lying forward has a demanding job, being both a goalscorer and a supporting player for the inverted winger on the left and the attacking midfielder. I’m counting on the right winger to cross the ball to either the inverted winger cutting inside or the striker, or a short pass to the attacking midfielder. On the left we also have the attacking wingback who should overlap the inverted winger, crossing towards the striker or the attacking midfielder, passing to the inverted winger or, if all else fails, recycling the ball to the playmaker. Last but not least: the attacking midfielder should be scoring some goals himself, but also can feed the ball to the other 3 players up front. So, for the goals I'm counting on attacking midfielder, inverted winger and deep-lying forward, with plenty of options and attacking routes.
7. Last but not least: because of this quite attacking set-up (4 players with an attacking mentality), I did not put the mentality on positive, i feel like that would be overkill.

Now, some of you might wonder: that’s a lot of words for something I could figure out by looking at the image. What you didn’t tell us is what those four red squares are about! Well, in my current view those four positions are the ones where (ideally) the key players should play:

1. The goalkeeper because of the huge impact his performance has on conceded goals. Somewhere in The numbers game (i think) i’ve read about a conceded goal being more costly than the benefit of scoring one. So: I want a good goalkeeper.
2. The left wingback because he has such a demanding task, and can be of massive influence. He has to defend, attack, cross, make space for the inverted winger, and all that for 90 minutes. If he plays poorly, we’re wide open on the left. On top of that the inverted winger gets isolated (likely encountering two defenders), effectively shutting down our entire left wing.
3. The advanced playmaker is (obviously) another key player. If he underperforms we’re gonna have trouble creating chances.
4. And for the last key-player: the deep-lying forward. I expect this player to score, assist, pass, press, he is vital to our attack and basically our first line of defense.

One tactic is never enough though. Opponents will adapt, and in some circumstances a more offensive or more defensive setup is needed. I’ve already made these, so the squad can get accustomed to them:

The tactic above is suited to more attacking occasions. I’ve upped the mentality to positive, the defensive midfielder should push up more into midfield because of the supporting role, the advanced playmaker is also offensively minded. On top of that we’re going to press more often.

And for tactic number 3 we’re going for a more defensive/cautious tactic. The left wingback is relieved of some of his attacking duties, the advanced playmaker is switched to a deep-lying one, so he stays back a bit more. The other midfielder is also switched to a support-duty. Both wingers are placed back a bit more, so they can help with the defending a bit more, also on a support duty. Finally we’re gonna burn some gametime with time wasting and playing for set pieces.

Attribute-gates
I’ve picked 5 attributes that (for the outfield players) are vital for their performance. Because we’re gonna be pressing, Stamina and Workrate are the first two. I want players who go to work for the full game, without getting hampered by their endurance. Determination is also the 3rd attribute that compliments the first two. I want committed players, not only on gametime but also when it comes to personal development. The last two are teamwork and decisions. a good decision can turn a game around, a poor one can make you lose a sure-win. Teamwork is vital because I've put you (the readers) through quite a long post about my tactics. It would be a shame if my players decided they are gonna do something else!

So, what values are we looking for? I’ve chosen the following ones, derived from the league average:

• Workrate:               LA = 12.56        target value 13
• Stamina:                 LA = 12.26        target value 13
• Determination:      LA = 11.67        target value 12
• Decisions:               LA = 12.11        target value 13
• Teamwork:             LA = 12.16        target value 13

For now it’s more a focus point when i’m recruiting new players, i don’t expect the current squad to meet these attribute values. In the next post i’ll show you why that’s a good thing!

Wage-structure
The final bit of this post covers the wage-structure. First off, I've adjusted my budgets a bit. We were on a hefty €0,- transfer budget, but a wage budget of around €8.750.000 per year, while our spending was around €8.075.000. So, the new transfer- and wage budget are €8.430.000 per year for wages, and around €320.000 for transfers.

For my wage-structure i’m looking to split my budget in 3 portions of 30% for the key-players, first team players and rotation players, and the last 10% for the youth players. Currently it looks like this:

As you can see, we’re not quite there yet. We’re underpaying our four key-players, and also underpaying the other first-team players (I’m aiming at 7 first-team-rated players, but currently have only 6). So where does the money go then? Well, both the rotation-players are earning more than they should, and we’re spending a lot of money on our youth players. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, developing youth players is one of the aims of the club. Also, there might be some players who are currently marked as squad/rotation players, while their ability should reflect a more important status. And vice-versa, players who are rated as important players, while their ability is lacking a bit. Over time we’ll get this cleared up. 

I’m finishing this part with the more in depth view of the current wages and squad roles:

 

Coming up…

A detailed look at the first-team players!

[Unigo]

Part 2: Squad review:

Goalkeepers:
Dani Martin
Dani sure has a bright future ahead of him. 23 years old, currently a 3-star rating but a 4,5-star potential ability, and under contract with Betis till the summer of 2024. He’s at our squad on a loan, for a very affordable €117.000 per year. He has great all round attributes for a sweeper keeper, he’ll be our first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the season.

 

Dani Barrio
Dani Barrio is our backup goalkeeper. His attributes are not that different from Dani Martin, but Martin is clearly slightly ahead of Barrio. What could be a factor during the season is the experience Barrio brings, with 360 appearances versus 73 for Martin. With his wage of €260.000 per year he his slightly above the maximum wage for a rotation-player, which is where i’d place my backup goalkeeper. So, unless i can tempt him to sign a short contract with a lower wage he’s probably free to go at the end of the season.

What is worrying, is that all the goalkeepers in the youth squads are way of the level of the Dani’s, and aren’t showing the potential to reach their level in the future either. So, we really have to keep our eyes out for a first-team goalkeeper for the 2022/2023 season. Especially since I've marked the goalkeeper as one of the key roles in our tactic.

Central defenders
Mathieu Peybernes
Peybernes is definitely in our starting 11, he’s rightfully marked as an important player. He’s 30 years old, so should be right in his prime. He lacks a bit of jumping reach and heading ability, but with high aggression, acceleration, pace, fitness, stamina, marking and positioning he’s an excellent central defender. The only downside is that is contract is running out at the end of the year. But, he’s currently on a wage of €260.000 per year, while i’d see him as one of our four key players. So, if i can find some space in the wage-budget i can offer him an improved contract (€630.000 being the max. salary for a key player).

David Lomban
Lomban is a tricky defender to rate. He brings some positives to the table with his experience, decision-making, determination, positioning and marking, but has great stats all around. He’s even capable of playing as a ball playing defender with good passing ability combined with decent vision. But, his age is showing in the physical department. Acceleration, pace, agility, balance and stamina are all on a decline. He might be quite useful this season, but i doubt i will renew his contract when it expires after this year.

Juande
And here we have Lomban’s replacement. Not quite up for a slot in the starting 11 yet, but Juande will surely get a lot of minutes this season. His mental stats are great, he’s decent in the physical department (but needs some development there), the technical skills are adequate as well. He’s 22 years old, so plenty of time to develop, and we’ve still got 3 years on his current contract. 

With 3 central defenders we’re quite vulnerable when it comes to bookings or injuries. Our starting defending midfielder (more on that later) Escassi could step in and be one of our best central defenders, but i really want him to play in front of the defense. We do have some decent talents in the -19 squad, but they really need some development before we could put them in the senior squad. In the other development team (Club Atletico Malagueno) we have a few prospects who are more suitable as back-up players, but these guys also show gaps on some vital attributes. For now i’ll try to work with these 3 guys, but i’m sure we’re going to see some young talent in the senior squad this year.

Wing- and fullbacks
Braian Cufre
Cufre is on a loan from Mallorca, and by far the most expensive player we have on our squad when it comes to wages. he’s way above the limit for key players, so i’m expecting big things from this guy. When you look at his attributes, he does bring a lot to the table. Speed, stamina, great mental attributes, technique, passing are all good. With 10 in crossing and tackling he’s not perfect, but surely he’s starting in our squad. He does have a not so preferable player trait though, he likes to cut inside from the left wing, where i’d prefer him to overlap. We’ll see how that goes during the season.

Javi Jimenez
Jimenez is one of our own, and will be (according to his contract) for the next 2 years. he’s a decent 3-star player, who isn’t going to develop that much any more. He’s decent in all aspects, but nothing really stands out either. But, as a back-up/rotation player he surely will get his minutes. I do like that his crossing is up to 12, that might give him a slight edge over Cufre in some occasions.

Ivan Calero
Calero is a bit like Jimenez. Decent in all aspects, not standing out in one either, although i like his high workrate (15). he’ll likely be our starter, or at least competing for that spot with Victor Gomez. Ocassionaly we might find Calero a bit further up the pitch as well, he also has decent attributes for a offensive winger, as long as he sticks to crossing and does not try to shoot on goal.

Victor Gomez
Gomez is on a loan from Espanyol, for hefty wage of €468.000. That’s quite a bit above the maximum wage of a first team player, and i don’t really see why we need him in the first place. With Calero and Casas we have 2 decent right wingbacks already. Gomez is a bit ahead of Casas, but not by much. We’ll see how much he will contribute the first half of the season and if he can justify his high wage. If he fails at that, he’ll likely be out of the door in the january window.

Ismael Casas
Casas is the future on our right wing, if we can tie him to our club for the next few years. We’re not in a rush, he’s still on a contract till the summer of 2023, but i’m sure other teams will keep an eye on his development. He’s 20 years old, currently on a 3-star rating, but will at least gain another half-star, possibly 1,5. His defending abilities need work, but he does bring great speed, bravery, decent crossing, teamwork and stamina to the table. I’m considering sending him on a short loan for the first half of the season because of the fierce competition on the right wingback position.

Central midfield
Alberto Escassi
Previously mentioned Alberto Escassi is our man for the defensive midfield position. He’s 32 years old, and that’s quite apparent when you’re looking at his acceleration and pace. But, he has great stamina, leadership, teamwork, and aggression to counter that. We can’t use him as a playmaker, since he likes to play a simple passing game, but i do like his 13 jumping and 15 heading, to clear of long balls from the opponent’s goalkeeper. He’s still with us for the next 2 seasons, and i’m not complaining about his wage of €312.000 either.

Luis Munoz
Munoz is a great asset. Rated as a 4-star player, good stamina, great decision-making and decent scores in all other attributes (although i’d like to see a bit higher ratings in his off the ball movement). If we can keep him, he’ll surely be in and around the starting 11, in the attacking midfielder spot. The question is: can we keep him? His contract is running out at the end of this season and Mallorca is interested in him. His wage is currently in a good spot (€312.000 a year), but with his 24-years old i’m sure he’ll be looking to make a step up. I can give him a bit of a bump, but i don’t want to slot him into the ‘key-player’ group, i’m saving that spot for the playmaker, and Munoz lacks passing and vision to be considered for that role.

Ramon Enriquez
Enriquez is another argument why i’m not that tempted to fork out the big bucks for Munoz. Enriquez is 20 years old, on a contract till the summer of 2024, and a great option for the attacking midfielder spot. Great decisions, better passing and vision than Munoz, decent stamina, fitness, concentration and determination. He needs some work in the workrate department, but i’m not complaining, he’s a 20-year old talent.

Ismael Gutierrez
Gutierrez is on my favorite type of loan: the free ones. And, it comes with a gift: a €350.000 optional transfer fee. Gutierrez does not have the potential of Enriquez, but he’s a decent player who still has some room for growth. Determination is really low, which is a bummer, but great decision-making, good passing and vision and overall decent attributes make him a good option for a playmaking role. If he comes close to what i think he can bring to the table, I'll surely use that optional transfer option.

Jozabed
Jozabed still has 2 years to go on his contract, and is 30 years old. For now, he’s our starting playmaker. His decision-making could be better (11), but 14 passing, 15 vision, and the ‘dictates tempo’ and ‘tries killer balls often’ traits are all what i’m looking for. He could be a risk though, his workrate is 8, concentration is 5, we’ll see how that will turn out. Especially with Gutierrez breathing down his neck…

Wingers
Brandon Thomas
Thomas his contract is also running out at the end of this season. We’ll see if we can keep him, because i like his profile. Great stamina, a little bit of pace, great workrate and teamwork, good off the ball movement, bravery, determination and a decent finisher to top it all off. he has some fierce competition on the wings and a whole heap of talents aiming for his spot, but for now: he’s my man on the left flank.

Jairo
Jairo is going to give Thomas a run for his money on the left wing. Also on his last year with us, but a bit more expensive. Stand-out attributes are his dribbling, technique and first touch, vision and off the ball movement. Downside is the low concentration, we’ll see how that will turn out. I’m not sure i’m willing to give him another contract though. he’s 28 years old and not going to get any better. with €468.000 a year he is well above the first-team player wage-limit, and i doubt he’ll settle for a €100.000 reduction while being in his prime. He’s currently on the wanted list of Leganes, i might try to sell him this summer to create space for all the talents coming through, and get rid of his high wage bill.

Hicham Boussefiane
Boussefiane is also (it’s a trend among the wingers it seems) in his last year with us. But, with a very affordable €156.000. He brings a bit of a dilemma though. the positives: lightning fast (16 pace, 16 acceleration), combined with 16 flair, 13 dribbling, 12 crossing and 13 off the ball rating he’s going to be a pain in the ass for the opponent. He can beat you on speed, with a dribble, and has the ability to finish it off with a cross. His 14 workrate will also make sure he’s putting in the effort for the full 90 minutes. But now the dilemma: he has a 4 for teamwork, and a 5 for positioning. He won’t be defending that much, so the positioning isn’t an issue. But the teamwork does scare me… will he listen? For now, i’ll start with him on the right wing and might try to get him on a new contract before the 1st transfer window.

Paulino
If Boussefiane decides he’s not gonna follow orders, Paulino is coming in. He’s rated as a regular starter, so he will surely be upset about losing his playing time. The thing is, he just does not fit our tactic that well with his preferred left foot (on the right side winger-spot). I might tweak the tactic if he comes in though, so i’m not writing him off just yet. He’s still with us for 2 years, earning €208.000: which is reasonable. What i am terrified of though are some of his attributes. 8 workrate, 9 teamwork, and, brace yourself: 1 determination… he has some dribbling ability though, can cross and finish, and is a decent free-kick taker. We’ll see how that determination will affect him, and if he’s gonna finish the season with us.

At this point it’s good to point out what we have coming through the (youth)ranks: At Club Atletico Malagueno are 4 (!!!) wingers currently, 3 are 20 years old, one is 19. two of them are on 2,5 star ability and at least 4 star potential (could be 5), the other two are at 2 star ability and 3,5/4 star potential, which could also end up to be 4,5/5 stars. So, i’m definitely not going to buy a new winger, i’ll surely give these guys a spot when one of my main-squad ones leaves.

Strikers
Pablo Chavarria
Chavarria is 33 years old, but likely the best striker we have. Unfortunately he’s currently suffering from torn knee ligaments and will still be out of the game for the next 2 or 3 months. When he’s back i’m sure he’ll find his place back in the team though. Decent pace for someone of his age, great stamina, workrate, off the ball movement, determination, finishing, teamwork, he really is a complete striker. On top of that the passing, vision and decision-making should help him with his deep-lying forward role. We’re going to miss him, but I can't wait to see what he can do for us!

Roberto Fernandez
Fernandez is young, but is the future. 19 years old, still on a contract till the summer of 2025, good pace, workrate, decent technique and finishing are all good. What really stands out is his 16 decision-making and 19 determination. I’m sure he’ll succeed, he might benefit a lot from Chavarria’s injury.

Antonin
Antonin is on a loan from Granada. he’s a bit quicker than Fernandez, and possibly a better striker. But, lacks the attributes to be good deep-lying forward (at first glance). We’re paying €416.000 a year for this guy, which (in my opinion) is way out of line. He is right footed and might come in handy as a stand-in on the left flank, but i could just as easily see his loan-contract being terminated.

Sekou Gassama
Last but not least, another striker on a loan; Gassama is on loan from Real Vallodolid, with an optional future transfer-fee of €700.000. He’s a physical beast with strength, jumping and some pace, but also has decent finishing. He lacks determination though, and vision and passing aren’t his talents either. So again: decent striker, not so decent deep-lying forward. But, given the optional transfer fee i might keep him around rather than Antonin.

 

So, how do their stats relate to the attribute-gate? Well...

 

Next up: a bit of work on the backroom departments!

[karanhsingh]

Great introduction! Good luck with this.