mannojunior Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 (edited) The Amalfi Dream Having just returned from a holiday to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, I have decided to start one final save before FM24 is with us. Having stayed in Sorrento for our trip it quickly became apparent that the Campania region is football mad and the local football fans are still celebrating Napoli's third championship title. Whilst the streets were decorated blue and white in honour of the regions most successful team, I found a little hidden gem in Sorrento Calcio 1945. Sorrento Calcio have just been promoted to Serie C and will play in Serie C/C for the 2023/24 season. The club play at the beautiful stadium called the Stadio Italia with the backdrop of the Amalfi coastline. I think it is only right that whilst the region celebrates Napoli's success, we look to form a new team for the region to be proud of. The Objectives Given that the club doesn't have too much of a history and are constantly in Napoli's shadow, the objectives are fairly simple: 1. Gain promotion to Serie A 2. Qualify for European Football 3. Compete with Napoli 4. Grow an English core Given that there isn't an awful amount of time left in the FM23 game cycle, I am not setting objectives of winning Serie A or the Champions League. I will deem it a successful save if we are able to reach Serie A, especially considering the size and stature of the club at present and the chaos that is promotion from Serie C. I'd like to become a fierce rival with Napoli and give the Campania region a second footballing force. Finally, with myself being English with Italian as a second nationality, I do have a plan in mind to try and promote a core of Italian and English players as we advance up the pyramid, Edited August 18, 2023 by mannojunior 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 I was there last year myself. Beautiful little stadium! Can only imagine how good the coast was after Napoli winning Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 This looks like a great save, and all under the brooding eye of Vesuvius in the background! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 19, 2023 Share Posted August 19, 2023 You won't get me arguing against taking over a lower level team who has a fantastically located stadium! Good luck with this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 15 hours ago, SixPointer said: I was there last year myself. Beautiful little stadium! Can only imagine how good the coast was after Napoli winning It's so lovely! Seeing the blue and white draped everywhere was incredible. 11 hours ago, warlock said: This looks like a great save, and all under the brooding eye of Vesuvius in the background! Such a great place to play and manage! 3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: You won't get me arguing against taking over a lower level team who has a fantastically located stadium! Good luck with this. I think yours trumps mine! Cheers mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 The Amalfi Dream Pre-Season 2022/23 - Tactical Philosophy Those with a keen eye will note that Sorrento Calcio start in Serie D on FM23. The side got promoted to Serie C in the current season and will be entering Serie C/C. I have therefore downloaded an updated database in order to start the season with the club in Serie C. Before I start making any recruitment plans I want to map out the tactical philosophy for this season. I'll be honest, we have a below average squad and we are going to need to make big changes to compete in Serie C. I've therefore decided to set out my tactical plans early so that I can recruit to fill the tactic rather than going with a scattergun approach. I've decided that a good 80-90% of the current players will be offered out in order to free up some wage budget and bring in players that will improve the side. Whilst there would be nice narrative in keeping around those that got the club to Serie C, the hard truth is that not many are good enough for this level and I'm going to have to be ruthless. The above is the tactic we are going to use this season. It's a very defensive tactic but it will hopefully allow us to control the middle of the park whilst also having a heavy attacking threat up top with three strikers. Recruitment is going to be key to ensuring that this tactic works for us. Our defenders are going to need to be tall and strong as a must with hopefully some form of pace. I am looking to recruit a tall backline with players that have a good jumping reach and that have some form of pace so that we don't get caught out. Strength and physicality are going to be the key attributes in that backline, or at least that's the plan. Wingbacks may prove tricky as I'm not really looking for a great deal of defensive ability but more natural fitness, work rate and pace to allow them to get up and down the pitch and help the attacking phase. The wingbacks are going to be mainly focussed on helping the attacking phase in this tactic and I'm going to have to get the recruitment right. The strikers will also be a key area of recruitment. Very much like the defenders, we are going to be looking for tall and physical strikers who are able to receive the ball when it is played forward. It's not just going to be a case of finding the best finisher or the most technically gifted forward but those who can get onto the end of crosses and balls played forward. Time to get to work on the recruitment! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 The Amalfi Dream Pre-Season 2022/2023 It was always going to be a very busy window and it has taken me far longer than I had planned to build a squad ahead of the opening league fixture. I have utilised all of the wage budget available to me so the only possible incomings from here will be loan signings but the quality of such loan players that are available isn't the greatest. We've had a big clear out and most of the squad have left with those remaining either worthy of a place in the squad or who I simply could not shift. I spoke in my previous post about the sort of players I would be targeting and I think I've done a decent job but I'm not quite sure how it will all pan out. We are quite stretched and I don't as much depth as I would like but we are in Serie C so that is to be expected. Overall I am happy with the players we have managed to bring in and I think they add real quality. I am disappointed that I've not been able to get the depth I wanted but finances are tight and we have several youth players that can fill gaps for us. Below are a few of the new recruits. Davide Narduzzo arrives as our new number one between the sticks. There were a lot of keepers available and I've decided to take a punt on Davide as I think he is a solid all-round keeper at this level. Di Sabatino arrives to fill one of the central defender births and I think he can become a very good central defender at this level. Kenan Handzic arrives to play in central midfield and I am excited to see what the defensive midfielder can bring to the table with a solid set of attributes. Nicolo Amadori joins us on a season long loan from Cesena and I think he fits the mould up front but I am always hesitant with young strikers in the lower leagues so we will see how this all pans out. I wasn't paying too much attention to pre-season results as for the most part I was still forming a squad but positive to see some wins towards the back end of pre-season. Below is how we will shape up going into the start of the Serie C season. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 19, 2023 Share Posted August 19, 2023 Loving the 343 system Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - February 2023 update Results I think I may have underestimated the challenge I have on my hands here at Sorrento. The pre-season preview had us rock bottom with odds of 250-1 to win the league and odds on favourites to be relegated back to Serie D. I knew that we had a good direction with the tactic we are employing but the key was the recruitment. I think an honest assessment is that the recruitment was okay but there were certainly areas I got it wrong. It was clear early on that the signings to play in both central midfield roles were poor and I used January to rectify that. I think it may be a mixture of the roles being employed and lack of tactical nous from the individuals but I did reshuffle the midfield eventually. Results have been inconsistent to say the least. We started off fairly well and found ourselves firmly in the playoff block and then a horrendous end of November and whole of December saw us take a huge step backwards. It was at this point that I decided to tweak the tactic slightly, opting to go more direct and operate a counter press and it seemed to do the trick. This was along with a flurry of incomings in the form of Lorenzo Conte, Ryan Sabry and a couple of new recruits into the midfield. January was superb, an unbeaten month for us. We certainly put December to bed and put some more points on the board and it was great to see Lorenzo Conte hit the ground running and Issa Ouro return to form. Competitions So with three months of the season left this is how things stand. Starting with the Serie C Cup, I had no real aims for this and the board didn't even expect us to win a game in the competition. We exceeded expectations with a second round exit having picked up a win against Brindisi in October. We were then knocked out by Pro Vercelli in the next round. The League is a real contrast. You've got Crotone and Benevento who are far too good for this division and their class shows. We didn't even lay a glove on either of them in both games. In terms of position, we can consider ourselves very happy with 7th place so far. There is a long way to go and I think the ultimate aim now has to be to stay in the playoff block. I don't have any expectations on going up this season as this appears to be a very long term project. We are operating off very little money and have next to no influence in the transfer market so we are going to have to do it the hard way. Player Stats It's safe to say that our front line has been the driving force in getting us into the position we are in. Issa Ouro, the 20 year old from Togo leads the way in terms of goals scored with 11 goals in 19 starts in the League. I am also eager to see how many Lorenzo Conte can bag after he joined us on loan from Sampdoria in January. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Some really big southern clubs in the Serie C/C, you have to be delighted with your performance thus far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Enjoyed the read so far - good luck in conquering Italian football before FM24 comes along! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 7 hours ago, SixPointer said: Some really big southern clubs in the Serie C/C, you have to be delighted with your performance thus far. I was frustrated at the inconsistency to start with and then I realised just what we are trying to compete with in this Division. I’m using this season as a bedding in period and then hopefully we can move upwards from there! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 7 hours ago, RaySunshine said: Enjoyed the read so far - good luck in conquering Italian football before FM24 comes along! Cheers mate! Will be a tough ask before FM24 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - February 2023 Results A really frustrating month, especially considering how good we were in January. A poor home defeat to Monterosi was followed up with a resounding victory over fierce rivals Juve Stabia. Back down to earth with a 3-0 humbling away to Foggia in front of an 8,000 strong crowd. We then picked up 4 points out of 6 in games over Cerignola and Avellino and in all honesty we should have beaten Cerignola. The final game of the month was at home to 4th placed Catania and we did not deserve to lose 3-1. We created so many chances but just couldn't put them away in the second half. A scoreline that very much flatters Catania. Not the month we were looking for as we look to book a playoff spot. An impressive month nonetheless for Nicolo Amadori in front of goal. League Table Disappointingly we drop out of the playoff spots and into 11th come the end of the month. It is all very tight in and around the pack hunting for the playoffs so all is not lost and a lot to play for as we go into the final two months of the season. March is going to be a key month for us as we have an incredibly difficult run of fixtures in April to end the season so we need to take full advantage of our March fixtures. News Some good news. The board approached me with an offer to extend my contract by two years and I accepted the offer with no hesitations. Time to get to work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - March 2023 Results What a month. I said at the end of February that we really had to take full advantage of the fixtures in March due to the teams we face in April and boy did we do that. A 4-0 demolishing of Picerno was followed up with a 3-0 win at home to Monopoli. We then ground out a 1-0 win over Brindisi in a game that was devoid of any real quality but we were able to get the job done in a professional manner. That made it three games in a row without conceding. That is something special for us considering how leaky our defence has been all season. I think this is in part helped by me finally settling on a back three of Obissa, Cianci and Sakho. We then finished the month with a 2-2 draw at home to Virtus Francavilla. A point hapilly taken as we were certainly not at our best on the day. What a month of the 17 year old Lorenzo Conte who scores 5 goals in 4 games. He is a future star and the fans are already asking us to bring him back next season. Table 4 games of the season remain and this is how the table looks. We have a 6 point cushion in the play-off block but we do face Crotone, Benevento and Taranto in the final 4 games. I am confident that we can maintain our position and given the work we've put in this season I would be gutted if we missed out on a play-off place. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect to go up this season but I feel we deserve a play-off place for our performances. Player Spotlight This lad is quite special. He takes his tally to 7 goals in 12 starts in the League. His attributes are perfect in all the right areas when you are looking for a Target Forward and he is only 17. I am trying not to get too attached as I don't think we will be able to hold on to him for another season although I will certainly try and loan him back! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - April 2023 Results A mixed bag as expected. A draw away at Messina was not great considering they were 15th in the table but we actually played really poorly so getting a point was better than nothing. The expected defeats against Benevento and Crotone and we got to see Crotone crowned champions in front of their own fans as they thumped us 3-0. We then put in a very pleasing performance over 6th placed Taranto and came away with a 2-1 victory with Thiam finally breaking his goalscoring duck. Table We've done it! Our first season and a first season in the division and we finish in a play-off place. Very happy to have finished the season in 9th given the squad we have at our disposal. Time to attack the play-offs, starting with the First Round in a few days time against... Player Spotlight Del Sorbo is one of the few players that were at the club when I took over and actually remain at the club. At the start of the season he was playing second fiddle to Narduzzo but halfway through the season I decided to switch things up and give the young Italian a chance and he has taken the opportunity and he's been ever present in between the sticks since then! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 Finishing level with Juve Stabia is solid achievement first season. The neighbours from just up the coast are regard as a bigger club Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 6 hours ago, SixPointer said: Finishing level with Juve Stabia is solid achievement first season. The neighbours from just up the coast are regard as a bigger club Very happy with that achievement! In my head I’ve given myself 3 seasons to get out of this league. Our budget is so small and I’m going to need to upgrade a lot of players in the summer. I don’t have much hope for the play-offs but we shall see. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - April 2023 The play-off dream is killed at the first hurdle. A tough one to take, especially given we conceded a 90th minute goal to lose the game. On the whole, we weren't good enough on the day to win and I take that on the chin. We were dealt a rough blow as we had to play without Lorenzo Conte who was out injured as well as Cianci who has been a rock at the back due to injury. It's time for the players to have a short break whilst I sort the squad out for next season and we go again! #ForzaSorrento 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 Think you have to look back on a solid first year. Now it’s time to go bargain hunting! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 1 hour ago, SixPointer said: Think you have to look back on a solid first year. Now it’s time to go bargain hunting! Can’t complain! Need to have a think about tactics for next season to try and shore up our defence and have more possession. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 A solid first season, good foundations for a second year and you should feel confident for taking small steps forward. Good luck in the new season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 On 26/08/2023 at 09:46, Jogo Bonito said: A solid first season, good foundations for a second year and you should feel confident for taking small steps forward. Good luck in the new season. Absolutely! A great season to build on and hopefully I can recruit well over the summer. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - End of 2022/2023 Season If I'm honest, I wasn't even aware that we were in the process of expanding the stadium but this is not great news, especially as we will want to be climbing the leagues soon. Although for now, I think a capacity of 3,600 is more than enough in Serie C. Player of the Year Nicolo Amadori wins player of the year and fans player of the year for us and you can see why. 11 goals and 10 assists in the league campaign playing in a front three is a solid return. The young Italian is only 18 and it would be great if we are able to bring him back to the club next season for another year. Tactical Shape We've had a fantastic season, there is no doubt about that. However, the football was not always pretty and we did struggle to control games, especially with possession. That's not really something to be shocked about when we played two defensive midfielders and our instructions were to play more direct and hit long balls at a high tempo. The objective was to find our strikers and hope they could bring the ball down and play eachother in. They did that superbly. I feel our wingbacks were an area of concern as they were given the freedom to act as wingers but we really didn't see a high return of assists and their defending was questionable at times. I've therefore decided to change the shape slightly ahead of next season. It's going to be a risk changing from a tactic that served us well last year but I want more control in the midfield and I feel that if we bring wingers into play we may be able to score even more goals with two tall strikers up top. I am going to recruit players this summer that can fit this tactic but also players that will slot into last seasons tactic just as well as we may end up going back to it if things don't work out. For now, it's time to get to work with recruitment. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 The Amalfi Dream - 2023/2024 Pre-Season 2023/2024 Kits Introducing our new kits for the 2023/2024 season. Pre-Season Results A mixed pre-season in all honest. I arranged some bigger fixtures to bring in a bit of cash but also a few easier games to try and get some confidence in our new shape. I'm yet to be convinced that the new shape works but we will see what the League season brings. Transfers Another busy transfer window for us. I am delighted to be able to bring back Lorenzo Conte and Nicolo Amadori to the club as they both re-join on season long loans. A lot of players left the clubs on a free transfer but the transfer history appears to be bugged at the moment. I was a bit more careful with my recruitment this summer but I was restricted by a rather small budget and therefore many of my first options were drawn to other clubs by more money. You'll see below that I am excited to see how our new central defender Maxime Awoudja fairs as he joins having been released by Stuttgart. I am also really excited to welcome Matteo Casarotto to the club as he looks like a great talent up front. Initial Shape Following a productive pre-season I've settled on the below to start the season. I am sure things will chop and change as the season progresses but this is how I'm going to setup for now. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 Good luck for the new season. The two new players highlighted look to bring a good deal of quality for your level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: Good luck for the new season. The two new players highlighted look to bring a good deal of quality for your level. Delighted to have got both in and they both look more than good enough for Serie C. I'm just cautious about changing the system given our success last season/ 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willemvandoorn15 Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Good luck, i hope u can challenge for the playoffs again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 I think this is your year to go up! Two very Good additions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted September 13, 2023 Author Share Posted September 13, 2023 On 10/09/2023 at 06:59, SixPointer said: I think this is your year to go up! Two very Good additions It’s all gone badly wrong 🙈 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 33 minutes ago, mannojunior said: It’s all gone badly wrong 🙈 Ohh no Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannojunior Posted September 13, 2023 Author Share Posted September 13, 2023 10 minutes ago, SixPointer said: Ohh no I’ll get an update up soon but I’ve had three board meetings but nothing tactically is working. Just can’t get my midfield to function. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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