[FM23] Ernst Happel Challenge - The Energy Drink Sugar Daddy - Part 3 RB Salzburg

[Hootieleece]

Congrats on your Trophy win!  

 

Any teams are you really looking forward to managing next?

[keeper#1]

April 2024

Three league matches all against teams lower in the table gave us a chance to really make a move this month.  I thought the momentum would be quickly stalled when we drew against Go Ahead Eagles but we quickly rebounded against last place Cambuur and then shook off the post-cup cobwebs in a victory over Heerenveen.

Go Ahead 1 Sparta 1

This match really annoyed me because it was microcosm of our entire season.  Long stretches of dominant play against an inferior opponent but we could never do enough to put them away.  Stoppage time comes and we completely switch off thinking we have the win or the draw in the bag and give away a late goal to turn a win into a draw or draw into a loss.  Just utterly frustrating to watch.  Another two points lost in a draw to Go Ahead.

Sparta 3 Cambuur 0

This is what we should be doing to inferior opponents.  Just running them off the pitch and giving them no way into the match.  Three quick first half goals were all we needed against Cambuur, who picked up five yellow card in the match.  We cruised to victory in dominating fashion.  Really enjoyed watching this match as the run-up to the cup final.

AZ 1 Sparta 2

See above post for match story.

Sparta 2 Heerenveen 1

It didn't take Tobias Lauritsen to shake off the rumors that he is not a big match player after being held in check during the cup final.  He got us on the board quickly with a headed goal in the ninth minute.  The defense had some early problems which led to a Heerenveen goal just eight minutes later.  After that, we settled down and started to play like we know how.  Early in the second half, Lauritsen picked up a rare assist after a potential cross to Vito Van Crooij was turned in by the Heerenveen defense and that goal was all we needed to claim a 2-1 victory heading into the last three matches of the season.

   

We've creeped up the standings into 7th place not to far behind AZ and Utrecht but a good distance behind 4th place Twente.  Given that we've thrown away close to 15 points in stoppage time goals, we could be up pushing the top four but instead we battling it out in the second tier of teams.

Without Lauritsen and Van Crooij, we would be cooked this season.  Rafael de Heij popping up on the expected save percentage leaders has helped save our season too.

Just three matches remain in the season with two tough matches at Ajax and closing the season against our local rivals Feyenoord.

[keeper#1]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

Congrats on your Trophy win!  

 

Any teams are you really looking forward to managing next?

I'm open to any "larger" team that will have a job opening.  Right now, the only one I would look down upon is Twente and that's only because I managed them in my previous save and don't want to set up a similar coaching ladder.

Clubs with a higher national rep than Sparta are:

Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ, Utrecht, Twente and Vitesse

We moved above Groningen and Heerenveen last season after we finished 5th and Heerenveen finished 9th and Groningen finished 13th.  I wouldn't mind a stop at AZ since former USMNT forward Jozy Altidore played there and I think he and John O'Brien had some USMNT overlap but I'm not 100% sure about that.  

What shakes out from the manager merry-go-round after the 2024 Euro could have some impact on where I end up as well.

Edited May 4, 2023 by keeper#1

[keeper#1]

May 2024

Defense took a back seat in May.  Rafael de Haij, in net, picked up a knock which caused his form to suffer.  Eight goals allowed in just three matches is some of our worst defending of the season.  But, the offense stepped up with six goals of their own.  This caused a simple run of form: 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss.  Not a terrible month that could have been much much worse.

Ajax 4 Sparta 0

A brutal match for us to open the month.  Ajax took us to task and scored early.  They continued to dominate the run of play while adding a second goal.  They put any thoughts of a Sparta comeback to rest early in the second half with a third goal.  They closed the scoring as well with a fourth goal late in the match.  We just couldn't generate any real offense and Ajax controlled the match on the field and on the scoreboard.

ADO Den Haag 2 Sparta 4

We needed to rebound after the thrashing by Ajax.  Youngster Siebe Schieman got us on the board early.  ADO came right back with a goal of their own to tie the match.  We took a 3-1 lead into halftime on the backs of offensive dynamos Tobias Lauritsen and Vito van Crooij.  ADO came out of the blocks firing when they cut the deficit to one early in the second half.  They continued to push for the tying goal but van Crooij put the match out of reach with his second goal of the match to seal the 4-2 win for Sparta.

Sparta 2 Feyenoord 2

This was a fun match.  Feyenoord jumped out to remind little brother Sparta who the big club is in Rotterdam to take a 1-0 lead early in the match.  Sparta quickly responded to tie.  Sparta came out in the second half and added a second goal to take the lead.  Feyenoord punched back and finally brought the match back to parity in the 69th minute.  They continued to push for a game winner but Rafael de Haij and the Sparta defense would not let them through and the match ended in a 2-2 tie.

   

In the end, we finished very close to expected standing.  We finished +3 in terms of expected net goals but +2 in terms of expected points.  Cambuur and VVV will go down to the Eerste Divisie while the European places will go to:

Champions League: Feyenoord (League Champions), Ajax and PSV (Best Places Path)

Europa League: Sparta (Dutch Cup winner) 

Europa Conference: Twente (4th place) and one of Utrecht, AZ, Volendam and Vitesse (European Places Playoff winner)

Defender of the Year: CB Mike Eerdhuijzen - Eerdhuijzen was the best and most reliable member of our more porous defense this season.  He could move the ball to the midfield after winning the ball.  However, he was poor in the tackle at just 69% tackles won but decent in the air 77% headers won.  An average defender but next season could see himself as "swing starter" or #1 reserve at the center back position.

Midfielder of the Year: CM Thapelo Maseko - Maseko, who joined us on loan from Lazio this season, was our most active midfielder.  He was our most offensive-minded midfielder scored a second-best on the team 10 goals while chipping in three assists.  A hard-working midfielder who was good in the pass but not much of a defender.  He was one of the best offensive midfielder in the Eredivisie.  Vito van Crooij was a close second for this award with six goals and a league-leading 21 assists.

Forward of the Year: CF Tobias Lauritsen - There was no other choice of this award.  Lauritsen scored 30 goals in all competitions and led the Eredivisie in goals for the second straight season.  He is a force in the air and has developed his game on the ground this season.  Should be in the discussion for Eredivisie Player of the Year.

Youngster of the Year: RF Siebe Schieman - Six goals and five assists from the right wing position was more than enough for Schieman to earn this honor.  Schieman took over the starting right forward position midway through the season.  A rapidly developing talent on the right side of the formation.  Should be able to become a complementary scorer alongside Lauritsen in the coming season.

Going forward, O'Brien will be looking for a job at a better club in The Netherlands during the summer as we advance to Stage 2 of the save.

[keeper#1]

9 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Congrats on your Trophy win!  

 

Any teams are you really looking forward to managing next?

 

8 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

I'm open to any "larger" team that will have a job opening.  Right now, the only one I would look down upon is Twente and that's only because I managed them in my previous save and don't want to set up a similar coaching ladder.

Clubs with a higher national rep than Sparta are:

Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ, Utrecht, Twente and Vitesse

We moved above Groningen and Heerenveen last season after we finished 5th and Heerenveen finished 9th and Groningen finished 13th.  I wouldn't mind a stop at AZ since former USMNT forward Jozy Altidore played there and I think he and John O'Brien had some USMNT overlap but I'm not 100% sure about that.  

What shakes out from the manager merry-go-round after the 2024 Euro could have some impact on where I end up as well.

And of course the Twente job opens up.  

[keeper#1]

I applied for the Twente job and then got offered the job.  Normally, I would accept the job but in my Ports of Call save - I took over Twente at the exact same point in the save.  To prevent myself from playing the same save again, I am declining the job and seeing what else opens up after Euro 2024.  This shows me that I could get any of the other non-Big Three clubs (AZ, Utrecht or Vitesse) jobs should they open up.  And could be a strong contender for the Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV job.

[13th Man]

What a cup win! Stoppage time goal!

Domestic cup is step one in the challenge right?

[keeper#1]

1 hour ago, 13th Man said:

What a cup win! Stoppage time goal!

Domestic cup is step one in the challenge right?

Yeah.  Now, Stage Two is going to a bigger club in the same league and win the league.  There are seven teams with a higher rep (Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ, Twente, Utrecht and Vitesse) than Sparta.  I interviewed at Twente but that was going to set up a save path very similar to my most recent Ports of Call save so I turned them down.  Hopefully, one of the other six jobs opens up.

[SixPointer]

Congratulations on the cup win! Just remember you can’t cross the Rotterdam divide! You’ll never be forgiven!

[rich ruzzian]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Congratulations on the cup win! Just remember you can’t cross the Rotterdam divide! You’ll never be forgiven!

The rivalry between Sparta en Feyenoord is in IRL nog that big. 

[SixPointer]

6 hours ago, rich ruzzian said:

The rivalry between Sparta en Feyenoord is in IRL nog that big. 

I know, for me though being from Edinburgh you should never cross a city divide. It’s not right!

[keeper#1]

Big news coming tomorrow with this save. 

[keeper#1]

Stage 1 to Stage 2

I spent the weekend playing FM but with the knowledge that my time at Sparta was coming to an end so I did not post any updates (plus I logged closed to 100 miles on my bike over the last three days as the weather finally broke and the sun came out).  I wanted to stay within The Netherlands as the challenge would dictate but I was running into a problem.  None of the top jobs opened up.  The Netherlands did well enough at Euro 2024 (2nd round loss to Serbia would have caused me to sack the manager but...) and they did not sack their manager after the tournament.  That greatly reduced my chance to get a job at one of the larger clubs in The Netherlands.  Rapid Wien opened up and I applied but I did not get the job.  As I posted earlier, Twente opened up but that would have caused some similar save issues for me so I declined their offer.  I entered the season as the Sparta Rotterdam manager but I was not thrilled about it.  

Even with some solid roster additions, we could not break the ceiling that limited us last year.

Still in the 5th place to 8th place pack.  Fewer draws but more losses.  We had a lot of squad rotation due to the Europa League adding to the fixture list.  I feel like we are just treading water with the club.  Not good enough to break into the competition for the top slots.  Not big enough to afford the talent to break into that group.

We are doing well in the Europa League and have a good shot at qualifying for the knockout rounds.  The results that haven't gone our way in the Eredivisie, have gone our way in the Europa League so we are in 11th place with a four point over 24th place Athletic Club.

The added Europa League matches have made it hard for us to put together any good runs of form.  We always get bogged down by a match that we should win but our best XI when they are rested.  That said, it's hard to find a match where our best XI are well rested.  The highlight of the season has been 4-1 win over Twente and the 3-1 win over Athletic Club.  The low lights have been the 1-2 loss to RKC, 0-4 loss to Ajax and 1-4 loss to Napoli.

As the calendar turned to November and December, clubs started to look at their position and put managers on the hot seat.  None of those managers were at bigger clubs in The Netherlands except for Twente, who like to churn through managers on FM.  I expanded my search further and applied for an opening outside of The Netherlands which fit the Stage 2 or 3  criteria of being a bigger club at either the same division or a parallel division.  The club offered John O'Brien the position and O'Brien is on the move to....

Underachieving Basel as made O'Brien their new manager.  More to come!

[13th Man]

Good luck in Switzerland!

[Hootieleece]

Good Luck leading the Red Blues!

 

[Jogo Bonito]

I enjoyed seeing you at Sparta, and look forward to seeing how you go in Switzerland with Basel. I managed quite a bit in Switzerland (several versions and numerous seasons with Grasshoppers and Young Boys) but not for a few years. My only year with Basel was back when they had Mo Salah! Best of luck in your new challenge!

[karanhsingh]

Congratulations on completing the first phase of the challenge and what a dramatic way to do it! I love Basel as the next step. Best of luck!

[keeper#1]

Roster Bloat and Early Results

I've inherited a first-team roster of 40 players and I've had two players sold in the first week since my arrival after clubs activated some minimum release clauses before I got there.  Why is it so big?  It's a combination of factors.  There are a lot of overseas veteran players who are taking up registration slots because they are, in the AI's opinion, better than the younger players that are now too old for the U21 or U18 teams.  Those poor youth players are stuck in the first team and really aren't good enough to even be loaned out.  What can I do about it?  Not a whole lot until next season.  Super League rules state that a player who is in registration slot remain in that slot until the end of the season even if they are no longer at the club.  I'm maxed out on non-home grown players.  Any new players that I want to register have to be home-grown Swiss players.  So, for the most part, I'm stuck with a bloated first team roster until the summer transfer window when I can finally ship some players out and bring new players in with a clean slate of squad registration.

Yep, you are reading that correctly...my first competitive match at Basel was against my old club, Sparta Rotterdam in the Europa League.  We needed to win to have an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout round.  I knew how to beat them because I knew how teams were beating them this season.  We jumped on them early and got out to a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes.  I knew that they couldn't play well from behind especially since they switched back to a 4-2-3-1 formation and crowded the middle of the pitch.  They play better when they spread out which is how they scored their only goal.  We put the game away with a stoppage time goal.  We had a small chance to qualify for the knockout phase.  But we needed to beat Ferencvaros and have some other results go our way.  We got the win we needed.  Smaller margin of victory than I hoped just 1-0.  But we got the results we needed in other matches to sneak into the knockout rounds.

On to February and the return of Super League fixtures.

[13th Man]

What a first match!  To have to play the old club - but to use your knowledge to your advantage!  Must have been a bit bittersweet, but you got the results.

[Jogo Bonito]

Ouch, the size of that squad and restrictions don't offer an easy beginning. Ironic to be up against Sparta like that, but well done on the victory.

[keeper#1]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Ouch, the size of that squad and restrictions don't offer an easy beginning. Ironic to be up against Sparta like that, but well done on the victory.

Thanks.  The restrictions are really annoying.  But it gives me a chance to see what I have to work with and who needs to go over the summer.

[keeper#1]

End of League Phase

Just a quick update as we come to the end of the league phase portion of the season.

  

 

We did enough to get into the Championship Group.  But the team is not where I want them to be.  That will come over the summer.

A lot of matches with the end of the league phase.  A quick exit from the Europa League was welcome as it opened the calendar.  I accidently lopped off two April league matches from the graphic.

at Lucern 0-0

vs FC Zurich 1-1

On to the semifinals of the Swiss Cup against Young Boys and the Championship Group.

[Hootieleece]

What happened in February?   Was it the team needing to learn your system?  I do see that most of the losses are away matches.

[keeper#1]

O'Brien doesn't speak German.  I've noticed that when I have manager take over a club where they don't speak the native language that they struggle early because of "language barrier."  As the manager spends more time in country and he's able to speak the language better, the results start to improve.

Could be just one of those things that FM has happen to replicate real life.  Could be one of those things that just happens to me every single time.

[SixPointer]

What team qualify for what European competition going by league place?

St Gallen look to be on the downward spiral. Every chance you could catch them in 3rd. 

[13th Man]

2 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

O'Brien doesn't speak German.  I've noticed that when I have manager take over a club where they don't speak the native language that they struggle early because of "language barrier."  As the manager spends more time in country and he's able to speak the language better, the results start to improve.

Could be just one of those things that FM has happen to replicate real life.  Could be one of those things that just happens to me every single time.

This is interesting - realized I haven’t done this but once and had the same issue. Though that was also a save I just never got into.

Was the play bad? Or just the results?

[keeper#1]

7 hours ago, 13th Man said:

This is interesting - realized I haven’t done this but once and had the same issue. Though that was also a save I just never got into.

Was the play bad? Or just the results?

Bad play leading to bad results.  This is my theory on what happens:

Manager doesn't know the language so can't fully communicate with the players.  He's learning the language.  They are learning the system.  Things get lost in translation.

Flash forward to matchday: Decisions are being made on the fly.  Manager tries to shout out instructions.  Players don't fully understand them and fall back on their knowledge of the game.  At home, they can get away with it with the home crowd pushing them over the line.  On the road, it's harder.  Matches that should be wins become draws.  Potential draws become losses.

As the manager spends more time at the club, he learns the language.  The players learn the system.  Fewer things get lost in translation.  Leading to a steadier match day performance.  

The first couple months with a new club in a new country are hard if the manager doesn't know the language, in my opinion.  Manager has to learn the language while keeping the on-field performances up so morale doesn't tank and potentially lose the locker room and his job.

[keeper#1]

9 hours ago, SixPointer said:

What team qualify for what European competition going by league place?

St Gallen look to be on the downward spiral. Every chance you could catch them in 3rd. 

1st place: Champions League - League Phase

2nd place: Champions League - Best Teams Playoff Path - 3rd qualifying round

3rd place: Europa League Playoff

4th place: Europa Conference 3rd qualifying round

5th place: Europa Conference 2nd qualifying round

3rd-5th place is dependent on who wins the Swiss Cup.

 

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, keeper#1 said:

1st place: Champions League - League Phase

2nd place: Champions League - Best Teams Playoff Path - 3rd qualifying round

3rd place: Europa League Playoff

4th place: Europa Conference 3rd qualifying round

5th place: Europa Conference 2nd qualifying round

3rd-5th place is dependent on who wins the Swiss Cup.

 

Every chance of a Europa league play off place then!

[Jogo Bonito]

9 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

Bad play leading to bad results.  This is my theory on what happens:

Manager doesn't know the language so can't fully communicate with the players.  He's learning the language.  They are learning the system.  Things get lost in translation.

Flash forward to matchday: Decisions are being made on the fly.  Manager tries to shout out instructions.  Players don't fully understand them and fall back on their knowledge of the game.  At home, they can get away with it with the home crowd pushing them over the line.  On the road, it's harder.  Matches that should be wins become draws.  Potential draws become losses.

As the manager spends more time at the club, he learns the language.  The players learn the system.  Fewer things get lost in translation.  Leading to a steadier match day performance.  

The first couple months with a new club in a new country are hard if the manager doesn't know the language, in my opinion.  Manager has to learn the language while keeping the on-field performances up so morale doesn't tank and potentially lose the locker room and his job.

Probably all true, I guess 'hidden' factors like this do get represented in FM. Good luck pushing for Europe.

[13th Man]

14 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

anager doesn't know the language so can't fully communicate with the players.  He's learning the language.  They are learning the system.  Things get lost in translation.

Flash forward to matchday: Decisions are being made on the fly.  Manager tries to shout out instructions.  Players don't fully understand them and fall back on their knowledge of the game.  At home, they can get away with it with the home crowd pushing them over the line.  On the road, it's harder.  Matches that should be wins become draws.  Potential draws become losses.

I think this makes a lot of sense.  I know that when I play with my students who mostly speak Spanish. Even though I know the words, I can't quite get them out in time to help them, or I say a direct English to Spanish translation that doesn't make sense.  Then there's the fact that you need mental processing time and energy and when you're already playing at 100% it's tricky.  Under the hood, it's likely a longer to get tactical familiarity issue.

[keeper#1]

2024-25 End of Season

We had some injuries to starters on the forward line which really impacted our form.  We just couldn't string anything together.  Add in the fact we had to play five matches in 15 days during the month of May did not help.  We got a huge win over Young Boys in the Swiss Cup Semis but we could not carry the momentum from our 4-1 victory over Grasshopper in the final league match into the Swiss Cup final against Servette, who had our number all season.

   

We found a way to sneak into 4th place when the season came to an end.  We slightly outperformed our xG which had us on 54 points and not the 55 points we earned.  The 4-1 victory over Grasshopper was enough to push us into 4th place which earns a playoff spot in the Europa Conference.  Young Boys appear to be in a class by themselves which six teams (2nd-7th place) who are all about the same in terms of skill level.  Lausanne will go down next season while Zurich has to battle through the playoff.  We need to break out of the 2nd tier pack and move closer to Young Boys, earn some Champions League cash and then eventually beat Young Boys for the league title.  That probably won't happen next season especially given the roster turnover I hope to bring.  But it's a goal for the 2026-27 season (two seasons from now).

Here is where you can really see the problem Basel had this season.  The roster is just too big.  There's a lot of dead weight on the roster.  Six players didn't even play a minute this season a another seven players didn't play over 200 minutes.  They needed to be on the first team roster because they filled squad registration spots.  The players that did play really didn't stand out.  Everyone is available for a price except RF/CF  Adriano Onyegbule, DM/CM Alessio Brambilla, LF Liam Millar, DM/CM Jandro Orellena and CF Bradley Fink.

It's going to be a long summer of recruitment and selling players as this roster needs a full rebuild.

[Jogo Bonito]

A good finish in difficult circumstances. Now to get those hedge-cutters ready and do some trimming!

[13th Man]

Solid end to the season and now the project can truly begin!

[keeper#1]

July-August 2025

I want to get this post out of the way before, what could be, a long post about the summer recruitment.  

It has been a busy first two months of the Swiss season.  I attempted to switch back to a 4-2-3-1 formation in the early days of July but it just wasn't clicking with the squad.  A tough loss to Kaiserslautern followed by a Basel Cup loss to CSKA Sofia was enough for me to go back to the 4-3-3.  The switch paid off immediately.  Granted the last three cup opponents were not the highest quality but the results were there.  A high powered offense with a tough to break through defense.  Yup, we were going to stick with the 4-3-3 once the season started.  As you can see by the results, we have not looked back once the season started.  We are undefeated and untied in the league.  Only Wintherthur, who caught us after a Europa Conference match, was able to slow the offense down and hold us to one goal.  Sion had us down early but we found a way to battle back to eventually tie and then take the lead late in the match to keep our undefeated and untied record.  The only red spot on the record is the road loss to Pogon in the Europa Conference.  O'Brien went into that match a little too relaxed and it showed in the effort.  Pogon was better than us that day but we were better in the tie and advanced to the Europa Conference League Phase.

I have to admit this is a very easy draw for us.  Our UEFA Coefficient is 49th so all the teams are ranked below us.  We avoid every big name team that is in the League Phase (Juventus - what are they doing here, Fulham, Sporting Portugal, Shakthar).  We should make it our of the League Phase and into the knockout rounds without much trouble.

As you can see, I have massively trimmed down the roster.  It all fits on one page of stats which is nice for me (easier) to read and compare performances.  Everyone has played except for the two backup goalkeepers and Axel Kayombo, who was called up from the U21 team after we sold 22-year old Albin Krasniqi to Werder Bremen.  Krasniqi was a solid backup piece who had just about reached his ceiling.  Kayombo is three years younger and has a high ceiling than Krasniqi.  Lots of solid performances thus far from everyone and everyone is happy because they are playing and we are winning.

   

[keeper#1]

Summer 2025 - The Summer of Transfers

Pull up a chair everyone.  It's time to dive it the Great Transfer Summer of 2025.  Let's start with the outgoing players.

32!  32 players have been shown the door either leaving for other clubs on a free, going out on loan or just a straight up transfer out of town.  The biggest loss will be center midfielder Isco who still had some good years left in him but it was blocking the path for some young better players that had been brought in.  Saulo Declari also brought in a good piece of change.  He was injured most of last season and then, when he got healthy, started to grumble about wanting a new contract and playing time.  I was not willing to give an injured player a new contract and he was not match fit enough to garner playing time.  I don't need a player like that in the club so out the door he went.  The toughest move was sending Albin Krasniqi to Werder Bremen.  He had the potential to be a good player but it was already topping out his potential and younger players with more potential were getting blocked.  It was a tough piece of business but he had to go.

Players In

By contract, we only brought in seven new players but all seven are expected to have a major impact on the first team.  We had a decent 12M euro transfer budget but some of the players were bought on the back of other transfer sales.  Attributes can be found by clicking the player.

Nicolas Siri is a poacher that we found playing in Uruguay.  He has a nose for goal at such a young age with 27 goals in 77 league appearances while already capped for U23 team in Uruguay at just 21 years old.  He is expected to backup Bradley Dick at the center forward position at the start of the season and see the majority of his playing time in cup matches and the Europa Conference.

Andreas Eikrem Myklebust is a hard-working midfielder from Norway.  Has the ability and the willingness to run the whole length of the pitch to help the team.  Can pick out a pass to unlock a defense and has the movement to get away from his marker to open up a chance for himself.  He will be expected to be a rotational piece in the midfield with most of his minutes coming off the bench while getting starting opportunities in the Europa Conference and cup matches.

Michel Aebischer is a homegrown Swiss talent that wasn't getting the playing time he wanted at Bologna.  A product of the Young Boys Academy, he is a Swiss homegrown talent for Super League registration which helps us in that regard.  On the field, he is a quality player who can play both the CM(a) and CAR(s) positions in our 4-3-3 formation.  A player with great tactical flexibility and ability on the pitch.  He should slot into the starting job somewhere in the midfield.

We had a massive problem in net last season.  Kacper Tobiasz was brought in from Poland to fill that void in net.  A player with great experience at such a young age (137 total appearances at age 22).  He is in line to become the #1 for the Polish National Team in the coming years.  He is a great shot stopper and then will start the counter from there.  A good goalkeeper for us in both the short and long term.

Sahitaj is a tough take no prisoners right back who is getting converted into a center back.  He is a dual national from Kosovan with Swiss parents.  He fills the homegrown Swiss requirement from his time in Grasshopper system before moving to Parma and then back to us.  He is definitely a rotational piece as he moved from right back to center back.  A good solid backup that was lacking internally.  Sahitaj is a good free option to fill that role.

David Zima is a tank of a center back who has represented the Czech Republic 11 times in his young career.  Hard to beat on the ground and in the air.  He can also start the counter attack with his passing as well.  Brought in on a free from Torino where he was not getting much playing time.  He will get the playing time he deserves at Basel.

Svit Seslar was our luxury buy in August.  We were lacking an incisive attacking midfielder from the center of the pitch.  Seslar is just that player, I hope, will be that late arriving option in the box or midfield runner that our forward line can find splitting the defensive line and opening up a goal scoring chance.  Seslar expects to move into the starting lineup right away. 

2025-26 Basel Senior Team

Only two players over 30 and both of them are our backup goalkeepers.  Five players under 20 to get first team experience except for Adriano Onyegbule, who will be in the starting lineup.  A good solid bunch of players ready to push for the Super League title.

A far cry from the roster that I inherited with nine players over 30 on the bloated first team roster and just two players under 20 years old.

[keeper#1]

September 2025

A light month with only four matches.  Two league matches and two Schweizer Cup matches.  I don't know why the September schedule is so light.  Looking into the future, I see six matches in both October and November (granted two of those six matches are Europa Conference matches) and an eight league match slate in February.  Why not a couple of those matches in September when the weather is good in Switzerland and not in winter month of February.  Just a weird scheduling quirk for the country.

Basel 0 Servette 0

Servette continues to be in a pain in our backside domestically.  We just can't find a way to beat them.  We completely dominated this match and nothing to show for it but a 0-0 draw.  Bradley Fink was having a terrible match and I was ready to pull him early in the second half when he picked up a red card for an idiotic tackle.  The defense did a great job of keeping Servette away from our net but with only 10 men, we could not generate any real offensive attack and the draw was the best outcome we could hope for.  Our first domestic blemish to our record.

Chenois 1 Basel 3

The reserves (and Bradley Fink who was being played as punishment for his red card in the prior match) easily handled non-league Chenois 3-1.  The lone Chenois goal came when Marwin Hitz let one get through his hands.  But by then, Fink had already scored one and Arlet Junior Ze made it 2-0.  Ze added his second goal of the match soon after the Chenois goal. A game where we barely broke a sweat in a match that we were expected to win.

Bellizona 2 Basel 3

Challenge League foes Bellizona made things difficult for us in the second round.  We jumped on the board early with a Fink goal.  They responded to make it 1-1.  Youngster Axel Kayombo made it 2-0.  They hit right back to make it 2-2.  Fink had to score in the 86th minute to seal the game for us.  A match where we dominated but almost lost it due to the poor goalkeeping of Marwin Hitz who allowed goals on both Bellizona shots on target.  We move on to the 3rd round where we will be on the road again against Thun.

Basel 6 Thun 0

If the league match is any indication, the 3rd round Schweizer Cup match will be no problem for the Basel starters.  They were fresh and ready to go for the first league match in a few weeks.  Goals came early and often as we took a 5-0 lead into halftime.  We added in 6th goal in the second half and Thun was just happy to get the ball across midfield.  A dominating performance by Basel.

   

Still in first place.  We have a league match against Young Boys in October which could go a long way in deciding the league title.

Everybody is happy and getting playing time.  We are scoring goals for fun ( Onyegbule (7), Siri (7), Fink (6) and Seitar (4)) while the opposition barely sees our 16-yard box let alone get a shot off on net.  I really like the way we are playing right now.  Everyone has gotten minutes except the 3rd string goalkeeper.  

[13th Man]

32 players out! That must have taken ages to deal with. Necessary though.
Seems like a great group of young talent arriving - ready to make an impact now and room to grow. Seems like the turnover hasn’t hurt form either!

[Hootieleece]

Are you ready to do better in Europe than Basel IRL?

I wish I could move that many players in a transfer window, I usually only move a dozen or so both in and out of the team at most.

[keeper#1]

3 hours ago, 13th Man said:

32 players out! That must have taken ages to deal with. Necessary though.
Seems like a great group of young talent arriving - ready to make an impact now and room to grow. Seems like the turnover hasn’t hurt form either!

It actually didn't take that long.  Some of those transfers out were arranged in during the season.  Teams were beating down my door to take some of the young talent that never panned out off of my hands.  That cleared a lot of dead wood.  Moving the players like Isco was easier than I thought it was going to be since they still had a high enough rep to attract interest from clubs similar to Basel in foreign leagues.  Room to grow was definitely my motto this offseason.  I wanted players who could play and develop.  I didn't want developed players.  They would be expensive and I couldn't bring that many of them in.  Gimme a group of hungry younger players.

2 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Are you ready to do better in Europe than Basel IRL?

I wish I could move that many players in a transfer window, I usually only move a dozen or so both in and out of the team at most.

We've got the draw to cruise through the league phase of the Europa Conference.  The knockouts will be tricky because we have to play some of them mixed in with our heavy February schedule.  Hopefully, we will have built up a cushion in the league table to absorb a loss or two if I need to prioritize the Europa Conference over the league for a few weeks.  I think if Basel make the final of the Europa Conference, it would be the first time that a Swiss club has made the final of any European competition since Basel fell just short of reaching the final, in real life, this season.

[SixPointer]

18 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

Everybody is happy and getting playing time.  We are scoring goals for fun ( Onyegbule (7), Siri (7), Fink (6) and Seitar (4)) while the opposition barely sees our 16-yard box let alone get a shot off on net.  I really like the way we are playing right now.  Everyone has gotten minutes except the 3rd string goalkeeper.  

I’m in an awe of this. I feel this may just be my big issue this season keeping everyone happy and firing.

what do you need to win with Basel for this stage of challenge?

[keeper#1]

5 hours ago, SixPointer said:

I’m in an awe of this. I feel this may just be my big issue this season keeping everyone happy and firing.

what do you need to win with Basel for this stage of challenge?

Just a league title since it’s technically Stage 2 (I couldn’t find a suitable club in The Netherlands to fulfill Stage 2). 

[SixPointer]

46 minutes ago, keeper#1 said:

Just a league title since it’s technically Stage 2 (I couldn’t find a suitable club in The Netherlands to fulfill Stage 2). 

Ahh exact same as me. But I decided to just skip the full stage. I thought winning the league with Salzburg would just be ticking the box. So I skipped the stage. 

[Jogo Bonito]

Nice work with the squad in the transfer window, and a strong start too. 

[keeper#1]

October 2025

Train keeps rolling through the month of October.  Only blemish was the 2-2 tie in Israel.  Domestically, we are just running through everybody.

Basel 2 Ludogorets 1

We got out to a quick 2-0 first half lead and never really looked back.  The offense was clicking.  The defense was playing tight.  In the second half, we learned that we couldn't take our foot off the gas pedal.  We let up and Ludogorets took quick advantage cutting the deficit to 2-1.  The offense stayed asleep but thankfully the defense woke back up and kept the Ludogorets attack at bay and our return to Europe ended with a 2-1 victory.

Aarau 0 Basel 2

A match that we thoroughly dominated from beginning to end.  Bradley Fink got us on the board in the first half and center back Frederik Jakel added a header from a corner kick to double our lead.  The defense didn't let Aarau get a quality chance on our net.  It was a nice easy 2-0 victory just three days after a foray into Europe.

Basel 2 Young Boys 0

This was a match that I had circled on the schedule.  Even though it was October, it was a match that could go a long way in deciding the Super League title.  We got on the board first when right forward Adriano Onyegbule found the back of the net.  We continued to dominate the play.  In the second half, we earned a penalty kick which we converted to double the lead.  Young Boys really did put up much of a fight at that point and three more points went into Basel's total.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2 Basel 2

This was a tough pill to swallow.  After sixty minutes, it was 1-1 and headed toward a draw.  Then, Raphael Framberger picked up a red card.  We found a way to take the lead after a nicely placed finish by Nicolas Siri to take the lead.  We thought the three point were ours.  Hapoel had a set piece in stoppage time which they converted to turn our win into a draw.

Lugano 0 Basel 4

This was a great response from Basel.  We just overwhelmed Lugano.  The goals flowed into the back of the Lugano net.  The defense allowed one weak shot on the Basel net.   

Thun 1 Basel 4

Another dominating offensive performance by Basel.  Bradley Fink nets a hat trick and Thun scored the only decent shot they had on net.  Basel advances to the quarterfinals of the Schweizer Cup.

Goals coming from everyone along the frontline: Fink (10), Onyegbule (10), Siri (8).  

   

[keeper#1]

November 2025

Basel 2 Winterthur 0     Basel 1 Derry City 0     Basel 1 Grasshopper 0     Zurich 0 Basel 3     Basel 0 Viborg 1     Thun 0 Basel 3

Lumping everything together because five of the six matches were all the same story.  Basel just overwhelmed their opponents and the only difference was the number of goals which found the back of the net.  Bradley Fink and Svit Setlar led the way with three goals apiece.  Adriano Onyebgule continues to be a terror on the right wing scoring two goals.  The defense was dominant and didn't allow a single goal and barely let the opposition get a good shot on net.  That brings us the match which sticks out like a sore thumb.  The 1-0 loss to Viborg.  It was the only goal we allowed in the month.  O'Brien rested some starters after the tough rivalry match against Zurich.  But we could not find the net.  As a result, we lost only our second competitive match of the season and we still have not lost domestically.  Just a great run through the fall.

     

Everybody is still clicking happy.  

                

We keep up this kind of form and we could have the league clinched before it splits into the Championship Group in the spring.

 

Two matches remain in the League Phase and we have a very good chance of qualifying for the knockout round and decent chance of making the Top 8 to avoid the play-in round.

[Jogo Bonito]

Basel has brushed off any domestic challenger and going well in Europe too. Great job this season so far.

[karanhsingh]

Big transfer window! And that's a great start to the new season as well. You're well on your way 

[13th Man]

Absolutely dominant in the league!  Looks like you've got one hand on the league title!

[keeper#1]

December 2025

Basel 1 Luzern 0     St. Gallen 0 Basel 0    Sturm Graz 0 Basel 2     Servette 0 Basel 1     Neftci Baku 0 Basel 1

It was a slow month for the offense.  I blame that on two things.  First, we played five matches in 15 days.  That required a decent amount of squad rotation to keep the legs fresh which caused some disjointed play.  Second, four of the five matches were on the road.  Teams are starting to sit back against us a bit more especially when we travel to their place.  We have less space to work the ball around and find an open player.  We may need to start pressing higher to force the opposition into turnovers while they are in their defensive zone and spring short and quick counter attacks to generate some offense.  None of the players who scored this month are center forwards.  The forward-most player is Anton Kade who rotates in at either wing forward position.  Svit Seslar is a midfielder who loves to attack from deep while Myklebust and Orellana are more holding-style midfielders.  The defense was brilliant all month.  The opposition never found the back of the net in December and only once in November.  A solid backline playing at the top of their game.

     

It's no surprise that we are in first place.  We've got two matches in hand on second place Young Boys and a seven-point lead.  Win both of those games in hand and the lead expands to a massive 13 points.  Well on our way to potentially wrapping up the title before the Championship Group split.  Only four goals allowed in 17 matches and 38 goals (2.24/match) scored.

The late stoppage time goal Orellana was just enough to push us into 8th place and earn direct qualification into the Europa Conference Round of 16.  Luzern was not as luck as they were knocked out of the competition with a 29th place finish.