[FM23] & [FM24] Ernst Happel Challenge - If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

[SixPointer]

2 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Makes sense, i want to do more of the same myself 

That’s the plan, but sometimes I just go with a system for a while till the opposition work it out. I’m very fluid when it comes to switching it up. 

[haier_fm]

10 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Yeah it will definitely be used. But I don’t tend to use one out and out system. The plan will be over the summer to make a third system then I’ll have three systems. 

All three will have the same principles but will have subtle differences to cover all bases when coming up against certain opposition styles 

Seems like a smart move too. Interested to see what your third system will look like.

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, haier_fm said:

Seems like a smart move too. Interested to see what your third system will look like.

I’m gonna have look at it over pre season. It will probably take a bit more trial and error. Am thinking something with inverted wing backs to beef up the centre 

[SixPointer]

This might just be the busiest transfer window I’ve had in my whole championship manager/football manager life. It’s like being a 13 year old again signing everyone you can 

[karanhsingh]

12 hours ago, SixPointer said:

This might just be the busiest transfer window I’ve had in my whole championship manager/football manager life. It’s like being a 13 year old again signing everyone you can 

Gotta love those 

[rich ruzzian]

13 hours ago, SixPointer said:

This might just be the busiest transfer window I’ve had in my whole championship manager/football manager life. It’s like being a 13 year old again signing everyone you can 

I like. Did they gave you a good sum of money i guess. 

[SixPointer]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Gotta love those 

Madness, i prefer a little less to be honest but the sqaud needed a revamp and the money was there.

3 hours ago, rich ruzzian said:

I like. Did they gave you a good sum of money i guess. 

A solid kitty, I also generated 28.6 million in player sales. I’m just starting my summer write up.

[Hootieleece]

How much of the transfer money is going to be moved to payroll? Your payroll is about the same as mine in Preston?  Are you really looking to make a wave in Europe this season?

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

How much of the transfer money is going to be moved to payroll? Your payroll is about the same as mine in Preston?  Are you really looking to make a wave in Europe this season?

Once you see the update. I’ll need to make a wave or I’ll be at the job centre 

[SixPointer]

Strike while the iron is hot

As stated previously it would be a huge summer for the club, after all to stand still is to fall behind. To close the gap and push for a title while playing group stage European football, meant a large investment would be needed along with a high turnover of player, to give us a well-rounded squad.

Getting the majority of the business done before the window opened was vital, eleven players signed on the dotted line and brought in for a full pre-season. I always find when I have a high turnover of players in a window it’s necessary to get them in and get them tactically familiar, which with only four friendlies’ games is a task.

The club was recognised for doing great business last year, even before Franz arrived so he must follow that up here. Transfers would be inevitable but holding onto key players would also be huge. Charlier signed a new deal after his sublime breakout season which seen him awarded rookie of the year, club captain Raskin signed a new deal after the world cup with Belgium, which we had two representatives at.

There was no room for sentiment here, loyalty to mediocre players that only done a job will only lead to inconsistency. 28 million is a huge amount of money to bring in for these players, many of which didn’t suit the style of play or DNA, Canak and Cafaro both stand out the most in terms of that. They have ability but just lacked the skillset for our systems.

Schoofs, Sobol, Hendry, Dewaele and Lafis simply didn’t have time or the side as they all enter the twilights of their careers. Said because I grew fond of them and they did a good job when I first arrived and actually shocked me, but it’s time for change.

First, let’s not beat around the bush, 50 million euros outgoing is a huge investment for any club, never mind one in Belgium. Players leave here for big sums but rarely arrive for huge ones. That said 13 players arrive after 12 leave and at a cost of 21.4 million and 34k a week makes for better reading. You must speculate to emulate and only two players are what I would class as being large fees.

When bringing in this volume of players it’s hard not to lose track of the values you hold when recruiting, Age, potential sell on, nationality, realism are all key factors on top of finding a player that suits your needs on the pitch. I felt I have represented that as best possible.

every player signed bar one under 25 and the only one is 26, majority of the players signed are Belgian, French, or Dutch, the exception to the rule Serbian and Romanian which I already have two player and they all the play same position which will help them settle. Squad status was another key factor, a larger squad filled with huge talent is hard to keep happy just ask Pep, most players were happy to buy into the squad philosophy.

Line-up One - Line-up Two - Line-up Prospects 

The signings brought in give us that depth required to fight on two fronts, two strong line-ups which aren’t set in stone, it will be a case of dog eat dogs, every player is capable of being a first teamer which means form and fitness will dictate and drive selection. The prospects need some work especially the back three and holding midfielder but there is time for that.

Meet The New Recruits

Vandevoordt - returns to Belgium after a two year spell in Leipzig. Things didn’t go to plan for the former Genk man, but for me he has all the hallmarks of going onto become Belgium’s number one. The only downside was his lack of teamwork, but other than that he looks a superb sweeper keeper.

I think at 6m he could prove to be a bargain in the end, he still has potential and will have the desire to show what he is about after things going south in Germany. A big upgrade between the sticks and will no doubt give the defence added security.

Sambo - A former Franz man, he had a spell on loan at SV Ried and a solid season last time out it was enough to convince me to activate his relegation release clause of 1.8million at Lommel. The time around I’m looking for him to lead the way at the RWB slot, again the Dutch man has had to drop down a level to be recognised now I’m taking him back up a level to test him.

Matam - 4 assists from left back in the league last year alerted me to Matam, while not the best statistically I really like his explosive pace, and hard working nature. There won’t be an issue in him running up and down that line my only issue is I slightly overspent here, half of the fee is performance related so that should cover me.

De Winter - Looks a real bargain and another stereotypical Franz signing having dropped down from Juventus when it’s not worked out. He was on loan in Belgium last season and his ball playing abilities were a real highlight, as is his character and personality. Looks to be perfect backup to Diakite on the right of the three, I had thought above moving Diakite to centre, but I’ve opted to promote Ngoy to first choice. 

LCB cover took a real bit of work to find, this is what makes the signing of Belocian feel like a bit of a hidden gem find. ticks all the boxes when it comes to his make up as person and player. There are a few areas of his attributes needing work but he has bags of potential, and his stats come from the Rennes second team nevertheless he excelled at that level and at 21 looks ideal for pushing Brassier for a place on the left.

Camara - The scouts dug this one out, on the transfer list. I really brought him in just to add extra cover at CB, giving us seven players capable of playing there now. His attributes are well rounded enough, and he certainly has the mentality to do well. Time will tell and am sure he will be adequate cover.

Locko - Like Camara another player to offer extra cover, the plan is to push Pera hard this season at LWB, but I needed some extra cover just in case he or Matam don’t live up to. Locko while unspectacular offered a cheap option that looked capable enough.

Lebreton - With no real heir to the throne at right back I had to go out and find a high potential right back, the watch he had to be affordable. The recruitment focus brought him to my attention, and I loved how he exceled in teamwork, work rate and bravery, he does need to mature, and his personality is a cause for concern but the right amount of game time this year could do him wonders.

Matazo - I’ve got high hope that he will prove to be a real coup for the club, again a player that’s failed to make the step up at a bigger club and needs to drop down to find his level. He did have a reasonable season in Portugal last term. The backroom team share my opinion and think he could be Raskin’s midfielder partner, his physicality and knowledge of the game put him in good stead, while technically he does everything he needs to well.

Van de Berghe is the first real big money signing, someone with a huge amount of potential having broken into the Antwerp team at 17. Already at 19 he is almost as complete as Raskin, I think finding his best role will be the biggest problem much like the issues I had with Raskin. If I can find that quickly and get him settled, he will be a Belgian international in no time.

Benarama - There is no denying this one has zero statistical basis, given the fact the reason he was available was because he wasn’t happy with game time at Strasbourg. Algerian, but reminds me of another African king, Mo Salah but a right foot. My plan is to train him into a lethal hybrid of the AF/IF role. Him and Charlier could prove to be insane together on either side of a strong 9.

Last but certainly not least, the strikers. I always find strikers the easiest players to use data, suppose when you know exactly what you want from them it’s easier, whereas midfielders and defenders your need a lot more from them.

Dragan Stoisavljevic hit 16 goals for Partizan Belgrade last season, anyone who has followed me closely and looks at the finer details will have spied him on many the potential signings in the past, he was in the Almasi and Kulenovic list way back at the start with SV Ried. He offers more guile and flair than my usual type of striker, but now with three I can afford this, that not to say he doesn’t have the physical aspect.

He outscores his XG by 1.97, hit the target with 45% of his shots while averaging just under 3 shots a game, completed 2.64 pressures, while attempting 10.20. His wages are on the high side but that helped getting him to sign as a squad player and 3.5 million euros isn’t a huge expense for a striker. He will join Dragus and his countryman Milosevic as the players to link the play, dropping deeper.

Eugen Rauta is another extremely exciting youngster, this time not as costly as the other two. 11 goals in his first full season in the Romanian topflight and he’s already got one cap for his country. A speed demon with the movement and dribbling to match, and it looks like he knows where the back of the net is. If I was being critical, he needs to work harder and become more of team player but at 18 there is time to improve that.

He is already being tipped for great things which is why he demand to be considered a star player which for me is the only real negative in the deal, He is the only true left footed player in the six forwards which if I do decide to use IF's could unleash another side to his game with his style of play. Dragus will help mentor his compariot to help him settle, if he lives up to his mentor could be one hell of a player.

A busy old summer

I did say it would be, I’m happy with all my business and I suppose time will tell if I got it right. I would like to think most of the signings were well thought out and due diligence done, for the first time Franz has thrown some cash around and the wheeler dealer has put his name on the line in doing so. 

I have to be happy with the squad assembled the hardest part may prove to be keeping everyone happy, form, fitness and training will be deciding factors but I’m hoping that form goes out the window as everyone is red hot.

I think the squad should be good enough to mount a challenge even if the board expects us to stay off the bottom, am not sure if that’s bottom of the championship group or a bug as the bookies have us priced as fourth place, as does the media. Raising the Standard in Europe is a must as not only has the club fell down the pecking order the league has, which resulted in losing a UCL group slot, bad timing for us.

I appreciate it’s a lengthy post but hopefully that’s the bulk of the squad sorted for the next 3-4 season minus one or two deals that usually happen.

Edited May 19, 2023 by SixPointer

[Carambau]

Now THAT is what I call an overhaul! So many players gone and so many players in! Nice to see you brought Vandevoort back to Belgium and Rauta looks like a real gem! Looking forward to how these new bunch of players will play together  

[SixPointer]

10 hours ago, Carambau said:

Now THAT is what I call an overhaul! So many players gone and so many players in! Nice to see you brought Vandevoort back to Belgium and Rauta looks like a real gem! Looking forward to how these new bunch of players will play together  

Then only concern with overhauls is settling time but there was just so much deadwood to remove. It may take time to get everyone up to speed but the squad now has a solid feel to it and one that will just need little upgrades as a when required.

Vandevoort is a player I’ve been close to signing on the last few editions, it felt like the right time.

Rauta there seems to be a huge amount of expectations on already, I would have preferred him to have went for a squad player first year and the starter next year, agent wouldn’t play ball. Now he’s got to do his talking on the pitch!

[Jogo Bonito]

A busy summer indeed! But looks to be really good dealings there, young and/or prime age players is my preference too. Next year should be exciting for you!

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

A busy summer indeed! But looks to be really good dealings there, young and/or prime age players is my preference too. Next year should be exciting for you!

Time will tell! I have a good feeling and we won all our pre season games but sometimes it’s hard to judge. Tomorrows a full day of fm. With GENK in the super cup up first followed by an opening day Walloon derby so. Good tests early on 

[warlock]

56 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Tomorrows a full day of fm

Always a happy day . Hope the new signings gel and can push you on this season.

[SixPointer]

12 hours ago, warlock said:

Always a happy day . Hope the new signings gel and can push you on this season.

Looking forward to it! That’s two Sundays off work in a row 😎

[13th Man]

I love that the board just wants you not to get relegated.  That's very generous of them.

Overall, this is a big season it seems!  Major investments following major overhaul in the system and tactics.  It's a big risk, but also you're not going to knock anyone off the pedestal if you don't take a chance!  Looking forward to seeing how it all goes. 

[Jogo Bonito]

Enjoy your FM day and hopefully a long session will help your momentum in what is definitely a big season for the club.

[SixPointer]

41 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

I love that the board just wants you not to get relegated.  That's very generous of them.

Overall, this is a big season it seems!  Major investments following major overhaul in the system and tactics.  It's a big risk, but also you're not going to knock anyone off the pedestal if you don't take a chance!  Looking forward to seeing how it all goes. 

Well this is it. Risk vs reward. I feel It a make or break season! If it’s a good season and we hit target could wipe out half this stage. Would only leave one league title. 

 

33 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Enjoy your FM day and hopefully a long session will help your momentum in what is definitely a big season for the club.

Thanks bud. Am a fairly slow player but am gonna adapt my writing this season to increase game time. Won’t be as much game by game analysis. Will most likely be a 3 month overview with some key points for the period. 

[Hootieleece]

The board doesn't seem confident in the new players and system.

[karanhsingh]

Wow, some brilliant signings there! Interesting that you brought in a couple of players I've had success with before. Also, love the young romanian. 

[rich ruzzian]

Some really good transfers. Title contender in the making. 

[SixPointer]

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

The board doesn't seem confident in the new players and system.

I’m not sure if they meant bottom of the championship group. Because all the other expectations are much higher. Or it’s a bug 🤷🏼‍♂️. 
 

5 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Wow, some brilliant signings there! Interesting that you brought in a couple of players I've had success with before. Also, love the young romanian. 

Yeah was busy summer. I’ve played all day today so next couple days I’ll have an update out.

5 hours ago, rich ruzzian said:

Some really good transfers. Title contender in the making. 

That’s the plan. While it looks like a huge spend I did bring in a vast amount of it but still a title challenge is a must 

[Lestri]

My saturday has been reading this blog from the start to now, fantastic job mate! Love the way you've articulated ways I've played this game in a way I could never do. Hope this season goes well and the players blend early. Have you updated your training since the change in formation, or does it still hold up nicely?

[Lasson]

On 19/05/2023 at 19:52, SixPointer said:

I really like these filters for your recruitments. Is it too much to ask for how you have set it up for other positions than central defenders and attackers? Cheers.

[SixPointer]

On 27/05/2023 at 08:37, Lestri said:

My saturday has been reading this blog from the start to now, fantastic job mate! Love the way you've articulated ways I've played this game in a way I could never do. Hope this season goes well and the players blend early. Have you updated your training since the change in formation, or does it still hold up nicely?

Thanks I really appreciate it. Glad you’re enjoying it.

My training is still the same, as I use tactical periodisation as a model the most important sessions for me are match prep. The rest of the week is made up of sessions tailored to improve DNA attributes which doesn’t change with the tactics therefore no need to adjust

I will be sure to tag you in some training performance updates in the future. It’s something I haven’t covered in as much detail as I did on last seasons challenge.

Thanks for your support 

[SixPointer]

On 27/05/2023 at 10:01, Lasson said:

I really like these filters for your recruitments. Is it too much to ask for how you have set it up for other positions than central defenders and attackers? Cheers.

Yeah I’ll send you some links of the other ones.

I think the first step of crafting them has to start with a question. What do you want from the role you are looking to recruit. for instance a striker is easy as you can go on goals and XG and then I use attributes to define his style of play. Centre back is similar headers, tackles and interceptions.

tricky positions are wing backs, mainly cause they need to do so much in my system, distance covered is a good metric, also because i need them to attack and defend, they tackling marking interception are useful, attacking wise key passes, crossing and assists are vital.

I’ll send some graphics next time I’m online  

 

 

[SixPointer]

Good day to you fine people!

I’ve opted for a different strategy this season bear with me please. In game I’ve just struck the 1st of January.

The next update will be a full update of the season so far, as you would expect I can’t afford to zone in game by game but I’ll try keep some key details (mainly tactical) in the big overview with some of the usual goals goals goals.

hopefully by Sunday evening I will have it all ready to post. This in theory should speed up my game play. 

[warlock]

2 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

The next update will be a full update of the season so far

Will look forward to it

[Lestri]

7 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Good day to you fine people!

I’ve opted for a different strategy this season bear with me please. In game I’ve just struck the 1st of January.

The next update will be a full update of the season so far, as you would expect I can’t afford to zone in game by game but I’ll try keep some key details (mainly tactical) in the big overview with some of the usual goals goals goals.

hopefully by Sunday evening I will have it all ready to post. This in theory should speed up my game play. 

Excited for it!

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Will look forward to it

1 hour ago, Lestri said:

Excited for it!

Thanks troops! 

[Hootieleece]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Good day to you fine people!

I’ve opted for a different strategy this season bear with me please. In game I’ve just struck the 1st of January.

The next update will be a full update of the season so far, as you would expect I can’t afford to zone in game by game but I’ll try keep some key details (mainly tactical) in the big overview with some of the usual goals goals goals.

hopefully by Sunday evening I will have it all ready to post. This in theory should speed up my game play. 

Excited for it and glad to see you back!

 

[SixPointer]

22 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Excited for it and glad to see you back!

 

Thanks bud. As always work is killing my save time but I’m trying to catch it all in a different way to try finish the challenge this year 

[Jogo Bonito]

Will look forward to seeing your updates as and when possible. I have similar work and time issues, so we are joint members of the slow play club 

[SixPointer]

6 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Will look forward to seeing your updates as and when possible. I have similar work and time issues, so we are joint members of the slow play club 

The slow play club could really catch on. We could start a members page 🤣

[Hootieleece]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

The slow play club could really catch on. We could start a members page 🤣

I'm in the slow write club and usually post a flurry of posts on the weekend! Instead of doing it after each month of play.

 

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

I'm in the slow write club and usually post a flurry of posts on the weekend! Instead of doing it after each month of play.

 

Whatever works my man! I would agree my gameplay isn’t slow it’s more my writing!

[karanhsingh]

I can't say I'm in the slow play club but may well be forced to join soon 

[SixPointer]

17 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

I can't say I'm in the slow play club but may well be forced to join soon 

I’m hoping for a huge writing day today after landing back in Norway for work. Quick gym session and try get this update finished before the 12 hours start tomorrow or it’s gonna go beyond slow play as the update will be another week 

[SixPointer]

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself

Summer is done and now it was time to pay the piper, after huge turnover of players and signigaicant investemt it was time to do our talking on the pitch. A title challenge is a must for Franz Schiemer and his Standard Liege side, knowing Franz he wont shy away....

As far as starting off on the right footing it doesn’t get much better than this, a comfortable 2-0 win to bring home the club’s 5th super cup. Vandevoordt returns to Belgium in style and against his former side, POM, and a clean sheet. Rauta also impressed getting on the scoresheet.

Europa league football was secured after beating Apollon Limassol 4-1, the draw was kind to us at the playoff stage, but we still had to take care of business, and done so by winning 3-0 away from home in some style.

The actual draw throws up some huge ties for the club, Galatasaray, Braga, Rennes and of course Sevilla who everyone knows about in this competition. The league is most certainly Franz's priority, but a good Euro campaign will be expected considering the investment in the squad depth.

The opening day Walloon derby win against Charleroi is a particular highlight of the first six games of the league games which we have remained unbeaten. 

Scoring goals hasn’t been an issue with Milosevic, Charlier and Rauta all hitting the ground running in the early part of the season. The depth in the front three positions is providing immense competition and is driving on another on.

The issue had been conceding goals, many which had come from ball in behind our backline, whether it be the direct assists or the line breaking pass to set up the assist.

On review of the issue, I opted to tweak a few things tactically, dropping the high defensive line to standard and changing the wide centre backs onto defend duties, I felt these changes would help shore up the defence and the space in behind without limiting our high press.

Autumn is the antidote to stifling summer

September proved to be one of the most shocking months, shock wins, shock defeats. Three big wins coming at home in the form of Braga in the Europa, Anderlecht, and Club Brugge, on the road it was a different story.

Starting the month with a draw and conceding late on I had prepared myself for the worst, the pleasing thing was Milosevic started the month with a bang. Braga arrived in town and provided us with a massive three points in the Europa, beating the top ranked team in our section.

Then came the classic and boy what a classic it was for the men in red, Vincent Kompany men were demolished in Liege. The man city legend opted to play a 4231 with a false 9 and it played straight into our hands, allowing Franz to push his wide centre backs higher into the attack and dominating the half spaces in doing so.

Milosevic looks a different animal this season, a pre-season with Franz and learning to play with his back to goal and moving into channels has galvanised his game and smashing home a famous hat trick here showed exactly what the young Serb is capable off.

The decision to not fully rotate and rest his team for the visit to struggling Westerlo was a harsh but extremely valuable lesson for Franz, one that would shape decisions going forward. Yes, dropping players after an emphatic 4-0 is tough, but losing goals on 11 minutes and 80 minutes showed a lack of sharpness and then fatigue, and it cost Franz his unbeaten record in all competitions this season.

Bouncing back from the first defeat was essential and coming up against Club Brugge who Franz has never gotten the better off, until now and now in some style.

Charlier got us off the mark, with a well-timed run and finish, latching onto a nice Raskin slide pass, after a sweeping move down the right, Sambo breaking the lines at the perfect moment. The second goal was off the highest standard, summing up our style of play excellently.

The ball worked down the right hand side in the build-up phase drawing the opponent over, before shifting into midfielder and then exploiting the ball down the channel and neat cut back and finish which sent the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium into raptures. If the second was about the team at its absolute best well the third was Van de Berghe at his best with a piece of individual brilliance.

The good times are calling

By the end of October Franz was being linked with all sorts of jobs, Hamburg, Strasbourg, and Real Betis. His dedication to the cause at Standard Liege is clear, and while it’s no surprise why teams are chasing him his eyes are firmly on the prize. It is nice to see his style of play being recognised and it now feels like his philosophy really is starting to blossom.

When you look at recent results its clear to see why, he remains unbeaten on the continent and he has won four of his last four league games, taking some big scalps in the process including his latest win against current Belgian champions Genk.

A key component to the succees month is resting players properly, each European game has featured a full rotated and rested team, this will cost us eventually as the 0-0 against Astana may have proved but it will do our domestic form wonders. Training performance is another area that proving vital, some of the high potential kids are pushing through the barriers already.

November had many recurring themes, the Europa league took a back seat and the wins continued to flow in the league.

A trip to Galatasaray isn’t for the faint hearted, to come away with a point and a clean sheet is more than respectable in my eyes, especially when you see what the rested team does in the following league game. Basement boys Sint-Truiden are smashed for five, Jovan fires another hat trick albeit to coming from the spot. 

Sofia was tough one to take, Benny put us in front with superb curling finish from distance before Hady Camara selt the pies, gifting the hosts a goal. Captain marvel Raskin put us back in front only for us to throw away a late goal and the two points that go with it. Hopefully, it doesn’t prove to pivotal.

Again, the resting of players was vindicated as another clean sheet another win to make it six on the spin followed the trip to Bulgaria. Milosevic is a man on a mission this year and his fine form has been rewarded with a new improved deal and he picked up player of the month, however his fellow countryman Stoisavljevic (don’t have a nickname yet) has started to settle and find his feet after an injury just after joining, he has 6 in his last 5 starts.

Devastating December

The winter break is upon us, and we remain unbeaten in the Europa League. A 3-1 win against FK Cukaricki in Liege provided a huge three points, keeping us within one point of automatic qualifying. A spot held by no other than Oliver Glasner's SV Ried, nice to see the old team still punching above their weight.

Defending our Belgian cup crown would begin with a 3-1 win against Waasland-Beveren, the followed up by a 3-0 win against Westerlo who are having a terrible season. The focus on both these cups is vastly different from the focus in the league, the fact we’re doing well in both shows well the recruitment was that we can allow fully rotated teams take care of these and still do well.

In the league we are the unstoppable force, nine wins is the headline but it’s in fact ten now by the end of the month and the time off writing. Four wins in four in the league meant it was seven wins from seven games in December.

A huge Walloon derby win, knocking four past them without reply was extremely pleasing. Milosevic hits another hat trick in the process, but the goal of the match was from Stoisa, finishing off a very well worked moved and a great pass from Raskin. Destroying our neighbour’s and with so much aggressive attacking football on show, it smothered them, and they had no response.

That man Stoisa again showed there is more than Serb in town as he gets the winner against Cercle Brugge, a tight affair but a big three points. OH Leuven centre back came to our rescue to make it back to back 1-0's, as their centre back bailed us out, after we missed so many chances.

Gent took us to the wire and really tested our will to win, the home side started well and raced into the lead. Raskin took the game by the scruff of the neck and led his team onto victory, he first equalised and then laid one on, he was at the heart of everything good and the testament to that was he won POM over Rauta who scored two and one was the winner at the death. Huge victory to head into the winter break.

Top of the pile at the turn of the year, I said a title challenge was necessary and that’s exactly what we are doing. The most pleasing aspect is the manner in which were doing it in, most goals scored least conceded and only one defeat all season. 

I plan to do a small review of the stats and style to this point in the coming few days, I had planned it here but it’s all getting too big. I appreciate this isn’t my usual style, but I hope it packs enough punch while allowing me to speed up play and try get this over the line this year. 

Edited June 6, 2023 by SixPointer

[Lasson]

You’re smashing it in the league! Impressive defensive record playing with three strikers. 

[13th Man]

Really nice, direct and purposeful play for so many of those goals. In an era when so many try to pass it into the goal, it’s refreshing to see.

Looking really strong this season. The title isn’t assured, but Liege have certainly put themselves in a great position.

[karanhsingh]

Great going in the league, although Genk are really trying to keep up! I am guessing that if it comes to it, you will prioritise the domestic title this year?

[SixPointer]

15 hours ago, Lasson said:

You’re smashing it in the league! Impressive defensive record playing with three strikers. 

Thanks dude. Sometimes the best form of defence is attack!

14 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Really nice, direct and purposeful play for so many of those goals. In an era when so many try to pass it into the goal, it’s refreshing to see.

Looking really strong this season. The title isn’t assured, but Liege have certainly put themselves in a great position.

I feel now I’m really starting to get the style of play I originally set out to create. That nagelsman, ragnick, glasner sort of influence is coming through. Mainly Ralph!

If you had told me that we would look so comfortable at this point at the start of the season I woulda said you were mad. So no complaints here.

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Great going in the league, although Genk are really trying to keep up! I am guessing that if it comes to it, you will prioritise the domestic title this year?

Genk are reigning champions after 3 seasons of Anderlecht dominance. So I expect a battle from them till the end.

The title is was made the priority from the offset, but was cemented as priority after our only loss this year as from then on I’ve rotated the full team for Europe and cup games keeping us fresh for the league. 

[Sheriff7]

This "Capitoline" i'm pretty sure i used it in past to wash my clothes.Great work man.

[SixPointer]

4 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

This "Capitoline" i'm pretty sure i used it in past to wash my clothes.Great work man.

I hate it!! I love realism and that’s killing it 😫

[SteinkelssonFM]

I always think that having the ability to bounce back from defeat and return immediately back to the rhythm of the beat is a great indicator of both the individuals within the squad and also a sign for things to come.

You have had an amazing start to this campaign, long may it continue. 

[SixPointer]

On 09/06/2023 at 08:29, MattyLewis11 said:

I always think that having the ability to bounce back from defeat and return immediately back to the rhythm of the beat is a great indicator of both the individuals within the squad and also a sign for things to come.

You have had an amazing start to this campaign, long may it continue. 

I tend to agree there, still a long way to go though. I also think titles are brought about having a solid defence, even if the current motto is attack attack attack. It’s providing a solid defence. 

[SixPointer]

The Numbers Game

I have conjured up a small amount of free time this evening so I thought I would quickly run through some of the key stats off the season so far.

I don’t anticipate another update from now until the end of the season, provided the January window stays as quiet as I have planned. At a very basic level , we score the most and concede the least but how?....

In the beginning I spoke about a style of play similar to that of Ralf Rangnick and Nagelsman, Gegenpressing. I feel one of the key elements of these types of systems is progressive passes, breaking the lines, and quick transitions, and all at high intensity.

There is no overall metric for progressive passes so I’m going to base this of final third passes, as you can see, we lead the way. Also creating the most chances, with our highly aggressive attacking approach. Our midfielders lean on the more progressive side, but don’t waste the ball, but with only 83% pass completion and the lowest number of completed passes in that top six we certainly don’t favour passing for the sake of it.

Out of possession is arguably the most crucial element of the system for true gegenpressing, winning the ball high up in transition is crucial in that sense. That’s exactly what happening, 3.73 passes before we make a defensive action (I know there is issues how this is measures in fm) however the fact still stands we are the highest pressing team in the league with our front three. Which forces long balls into our defence.

Raskin likes to join in with the front three and is usually the first player to join them, he ranks 7th for pressures, he is also our most creative player in the middle, he is more often than not the man to launch the offensive after a turnover. In fact, the club captain has been sensational all season, his all action style in the SV role has been a remarkable sight.

Marvellous Matteo

In the summer there was a big arrival between the sticks, but he has failed to settle and the new kid on the block has again repaid the faith shown in him by Franz.

Of course, the whole team as a defensive unit plays its part, but he leads the way for clean sheet per 90 for a start. He out scores his expected goals prevented by 0.18, concedes one goal every 0.45 minutes all with a save percentage of 85%.

He never done a bad job last season but I felt I needed a more of a presence between the sticks but he has again proven his worth, the Standard academy graduate has for kept Vandevoordt out the side and knocked his countryman into the Europa/Belgian cup side and he doesn’t look like giving it up any time soon.

Joyous Jovan

I was optimistic when Jovan Milosevic joined in the winter window last year, Franz has an eye for a strikers and Jovan looked to fit the bill. He took his time to settle making the switch from Serbia to Belgium but towards the end of last season he started to find his feet, well this year he looks like the player Franz believed he could be.

24 goals in 16 starts are phenomenal rate of hitting for hitting the back of the net, and it was enough to bag him the Golden boot. His performances where enough to seal his first young player of the year, runners up Charlier and Matteo made for great viewing for the club.

The Serbian sensation is outperforming on all fronts and has transformed himself into a complete forward, holding up play, going in behind, headed goals. He beats his XG by 5.61, and he has averaged an XG of 14.39 in 14 appearances. He is well out in front when it comes to the scoring forward metric, an aggressive shooter but was you would imagine high quality at the same time. 
 

See you at the end of the season........ Hopefully unless players are snatched from us.

Edited June 10, 2023 by SixPointer

[Hootieleece]

I found a progressive pass stat that and key passes combined should get what your looking for I think.