[FM24] Rekindling the Clarets: A Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory

[lied90]

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

Step into the aftermath of a seismic shift at Turf Moor. As the 2024 season dawns, the landscape has drastically changed. Vincent Kompany's tenure, marked by an unfortunate descent into relegation from the Premier League, has come to an end. In the wake of this transformation, enter Jean Duche, the newly appointed manager and a distant relative of the revered Sean Dyche. Tasked with steering Burnley through the rough waters of the Championship, Duche is set to initiate a major rebuild. Transcending borders and drawing inspiration from the Dyche legacy, the challenge ahead is clear – restore Burnley's former "glory".

Drawing inspiration from the tactical prowess of Sean Dyche, Jean Duche is set to implement a robust and disciplined playing style reminiscent of Burnley's golden era. Mirroring Dyche's renowned approach, Duche's Burnley will prioritize a solid defensive foundation, with a compact and organized backline that aims to frustrate opponents. Offensively, Duche's Burnley will look to capitalize on direct and purposeful attacks, utilizing target men up front and exploiting wide areas to deliver crosses into the box. The emphasis on team cohesion and a collective work ethic will remain pivotal, ensuring that every player contributes to the overall defensive and offensive efforts.

A lesson Sean Dyche tactics at Turf Moor.

 

There are loads of resources out there to learn about how Burnley played, but it's best to hear it from the man himself. He explains well that there are nuances to how they played, and that they played differently depending on the quality they played against. A good example of this is that they often find themself in a mid to low block, but they also like to press high directly after loosing the ball. Against certain teams that try to play out from the back, but aren't that good at it, they also press very high at times.

That being said, the default is a mid/low block with players not straying too far from their position, and attacks coming in the shape of direct balls from the back or wing play.

This is the team I want to use as a starting point.
 

Pope : Launch it long and fast to start an attack
Lowton: Support the winger but be wary of straying too far.
Tarkowski: Freedom to keep the ball a bit and pick out a long pass.
Mee: Just hoof it.
Taylor: Get higher and wider than Lowton, overlap on the flank.
McNeil: Drift inside or get wide, his choice.
Westwood: The deeper midfielder in possession, license to make risky passes.
Cork: The dynamo of the midfield, box2box/volante.
Guðmundsson: Wide midfielder/winger, get wide and cross it.
Barnes: The number 10.
Wood: Primary goalscorer.

When it comes to attributes, the CBs need to be intelligent and good in the air. The fullbacks need a good cross and work rate. The wide players need a good work rate and be decent passers, bonus if they are good 1v1. The midfield duo have to do a lot of work in defense and attack, so high work rate and should either be a deep-lying playmaker/holding midfielder or a box to box type player. The strikers have to be good in the air, but can also be fast and strong like Andre Gray.

Key attributes:
- Work rate
- Determination
- Concentration
- Anticipation
- Jumping reach

The rebuild:

As the transfer window unfolds, flashy players are making way for those who align more seamlessly with Burnley's distinctive style. Duche is currently scouting the marked for fitting players.

More to follow in the next update.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 hours ago, lied90 said:

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

Step into the aftermath of a seismic shift at Turf Moor. As the 2024 season dawns, the landscape has drastically changed. Vincent Kompany's tenure, marked by an unfortunate descent into relegation from the Premier League, has come to an end. In the wake of this transformation, enter Jean Duche, the newly appointed manager and a distant relative of the revered Sean Dyche. Tasked with steering Burnley through the rough waters of the Championship, Duche is set to initiate a major rebuild. Transcending borders and drawing inspiration from the Dyche legacy, the challenge ahead is clear – restore Burnley's former "glory".

Drawing inspiration from the tactical prowess of Sean Dyche, Jean Duche is set to implement a robust and disciplined playing style reminiscent of Burnley's golden era. Mirroring Dyche's renowned approach, Duche's Burnley will prioritize a solid defensive foundation, with a compact and organized backline that aims to frustrate opponents. Offensively, Duche's Burnley will look to capitalize on direct and purposeful attacks, utilizing target men up front and exploiting wide areas to deliver crosses into the box. The emphasis on team cohesion and a collective work ethic will remain pivotal, ensuring that every player contributes to the overall defensive and offensive efforts.

A lesson Sean Dyche tactics at Turf Moor.

 

There are loads of resources out there to learn about how Burnley played, but it's best to hear it from the man himself. He explains well that there are nuances to how they played, and that they played differently depending on the quality they played against. A good example of this is that they often find themself in a mid to low block, but they also like to press high directly after loosing the ball. Against certain teams that try to play out from the back, but aren't that good at it, they also press very high at times.

That being said, the default is a mid/low block with players not straying too far from their position, and attacks coming in the shape of direct balls from the back or wing play.

This is the team I want to use as a starting point.
 

Pope : Launch it long and fast to start an attack
Lowton: Support the winger but be wary of straying too far.
Tarkowski: Freedom to keep the ball a bit and pick out a long pass.
Mee: Just hoof it.
Taylor: Get higher and wider than Lowton, overlap on the flank.
McNeil: Drift inside or get wide, his choice.
Westwood: The deeper midfielder in possession, license to make risky passes.
Cork: The dynamo of the midfield, box2box/volante.
Guðmundsson: Wide midfielder/winger, get wide and cross it.
Barnes: The number 10.
Wood: Primary goalscorer.

When it comes to attributes, the CBs need to be intelligent and good in the air. The fullbacks need a good cross and work rate. The wide players need a good work rate and be decent passers, bonus if they are good 1v1. The midfield duo have to do a lot of work in defense and attack, so high work rate and should either be a deep-lying playmaker/holding midfielder or a box to box type player. The strikers have to be good in the air, but can also be fast and strong like Andre Gray.

Key attributes:
- Work rate
- Determination
- Concentration
- Anticipation
- Jumping reach

The rebuild:

As the transfer window unfolds, flashy players are making way for those who align more seamlessly with Burnley's distinctive style. Duche is currently scouting the marked for fitting players.

More to follow in the next update.

I look forward to seeing your rebuild. I always appreciated Dyche's style of play. Similar to Tony Pulis's. Sometimes the more direct approach is the best.

Can you if possible post your tactic on here as I would like to do a save with Everton emulating Dyche's tactical approach but I wont be posting it as it is just a save I want to do on my own.

No worries if you don't want to post the tactic.

Good luck with Burnley.

 

[lied90]

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

Jean Duche will be looking for the right kind of players to gain promotion back to the premier league. The initial budget was a measly £2million, so players had to be sold fast. With the help of some intermediaries, players had to leave for their next club before the managed to get back from holiday.

Tresor was on loan the previous season with obligation to buy, so Duche had no say in the matter. Tresor is a good player but as a natural attacking midfielder with no ability to play on the wing or deep midfield, he just isn't very useful to Burnley.

Players like Ryan Fraser, Patrick Bamford and Kortney Hause came in to get some much needed experience in the team.  Patrick Bamford unfortunately didn't come off to the best of starts as he was sidelined as quick as he entered the pitch.

While it's not exactly Dyche-esque to buy players from Spain, the two young Spaniards Serrano and Azon are very similar to two former Burnley profiles, McNeil and Chris Wood. Ivan Azon in particular have very similar strengths to Chris Wood, apart from being a fair bit shorter (but comparable jumping reach).

Veteran Jack Cork is still at the club and is for sure at the end of his career at 35yo, so Danish/Norwegian midfielder Clem comes in as his heir to the midfield spot. Great work rate and stamina to run up and down the pitch for 90 min week in week out. Clem will get some mentoring from Cork this season.

The new recruits and a reborn Burnley are off to a flying start in the championship, undefeated after 10 games in a very competitive environment.

 

First in the league and bottom on passes completed in the league, brilliant.

 

In Duche's playbook, we're rocking a 4-4-2 formation. Muric is our go-to goalie, slinging those long passes like nobody's business. On the left, we've got Taylor charging up, creating chaos. On the right, it's either Johnson or Roberts doing a solid defensive hustle.

In the center, Ekdal's the fancy ballplayer, doing his thing with a bit of freedom, while McNally's all about no-nonsense, keeping it tight. Serrano or Twine on the left wing are our creative sparks, allowed to roam and cause trouble.

Fraser's our man on the right, sticking wide and delivering killer crosses or cheeky through balls. In the middle, Cullen holds the fort, spraying those long passes, and Clem or Brownhill covers ground like there's no tomorrow. They are told to dribble more in order to progress with the ball.

Up top, Azon's our main goal-getter, or Lyle Foster with his muscle and pace. Weghorst, even with an eye on the exit, still rocks the preferred number 10 spot, giving his all. Old Jay Rodriguez will also be getting some minutes, especially with Bamford out for a long time.

Our game plan? Wings are the go-to, lofting crosses, and defenders slamming those direct balls from the back. Defensively, we stay tight, and when we lose the ball, we hit that counter-press just enough to slow down the other team's hype. And yeah, we're cool with losing the ball – it's part of our wild symphony.

 

Dyche default 442.fmf

The tactic will probably change frequently, but this i the one I've used the first ten rounds.

Edited December 5, 2023 by lied90

[lied90]

21 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I look forward to seeing your rebuild. I always appreciated Dyche's style of play. Similar to Tony Pulis's. Sometimes the more direct approach is the best.

Can you if possible post your tactic on here as I would like to do a save with Everton emulating Dyche's tactical approach but I wont be posting it as it is just a save I want to do on my own.

No worries if you don't want to post the tactic.

Good luck with Burnley.

 

Posted it now.

With Everton I would probably use an asymmetric AM+ST instead of ST+ST. If you buy some more strikers for backup then DCL+Beto can be very lethal. Two tall, strong strikers with pace is a lot to handle for defenders.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 hours ago, lied90 said:

Posted it now.

With Everton I would probably use an asymmetric AM+ST instead of ST+ST. If you buy some more strikers for backup then DCL+Beto can be very lethal. Two tall, strong strikers with pace is a lot to handle for defenders.

OK cheers mate.

How would you set up the set pieces to replicate Dyche?

Also would you bring in long throw specialist?

[lied90]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

OK cheers mate.

How would you set up the set pieces to replicate Dyche?

Also would you bring in long throw specialist?

I think Dyche had them aim at the back post more often than not. 

I wouldn't bring in a long thrower just for the sole purpose of launching long throws. Burnley used it at times but it was never a huge part of their style. Nothing like it was for Pulis with Delap.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

4 hours ago, lied90 said:

I think Dyche had them aim at the back post more often than not. 

I wouldn't bring in a long thrower just for the sole purpose of launching long throws. Burnley used it at times but it was never a huge part of their style. Nothing like it was for Pulis with Delap.

Yeah I might make it 80% Dyche and 20% Pulis 

[lied90]

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

 

After a promising start to the season our performance dropped into November and December. Our game plan was not working and some tactical tinkering was needed.

At first glance it doesn't look by much of a drop in results, but when looking at the highlights and xg it's very worrying.

Main changes made is more compact defense and more intense pressing. Overall game plan is still the same, with some variation in roles depending on what players are available.

Out:

Weghorst £9mill -> Rangers
Sander Berge £11mill -> Norwich

Both players wanted to go.

In:

Ross Stewart (LOAN) from Southampton.
Jaden Philogene £15mill from Hull.

Jaden looks like a young version of former Burnley man Aaron Lennon. Agile, pacy and with a good cross on him
Ross Stewart is our TF back up.

Results:

2023/24 Table:

Norwich and Leeds really had us on our tails the entire season and we got lucky that Leeds form dropped towards the end of the season.

A great feat to note is goals scored against which ended at 34, proving that our team has an impenetrable defense! A lot of credit goes to our super tall GK, Muric, with 19 clean sheets. We might lose him in the summer with Saudi clubs starting to sniff at him.

Player of the season:

Lyle Foster scored 24 goals in 26 matches + 11 subs. If Lyle managed to stay injury free he would probably score lots more. Duche will need Lyle to keep it going on the premier league next season.

Honorable mention to Ryan Fraser who managed 9 assists and 4 goals in 19 starts, also struggling with injuries.

 

[lied90]

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory - 2024/25

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

 

Burnley transfers:

With promotion secured Jean Duche need PL quality players who can step up and save Burnley from relegation. In true Dyche fashion the domestic marked will be preferred destination to look for players, especially players who are "PL proven".

Rob Holding - £10mill from Crystal Palace:
A defender who has played at a high level for a numbers of years and ready to take responsibility in the center of defense for Burnley. Came from a relegated Crystal Palace.

Leif Davis - £9mill from Ipswich
Davis is a perfect left back for a club like Burnley. Defensively solid with a decent work rate and excellent crossing and corners. Came from a relegated Ipswich side.

Harvey Barnes - £6.5mill from Newcastle
Perhaps the biggest bargain, despite high wages for a side like Burnley. Loads of experience and still in his prime as a player.

Maximiliano Gomez - £10mill from Trabzponsor
No domestic players that improved our striker situation or fit our profile was available, so we looked abroad and purchased Maxi G. Strong, tall, hard working, good finisher.

[lied90]

Rekindling the Clarets: A  Journey to Restore Burnley's Grit and Glory - 2024/25

Disclaimer: This will be a short term save, as you can only expect so much out of a team that will play direct football in a 442. This is my favorite type of save to do it, as I normally only play FM online where everything is about playing the meta. This is very different. I've done something similar twice before, but that was more about emulating Tony Pulis.

 

Jean Duche has brought Burnley back to the Prem and it was time to see how extreme direct passing fairs in the worlds best league.

We set up in our trusted 442 DM as mentioned in a previous post, in a mid block 80% of the time, with balanced or cautious mentality.

This is how FM views Jean Duche based on how we played so far.

After have looked at all other manager profiles in the prem, Duche is the only one with the route one tactical style.

August didn't start too well, with matches against or newly promoted colleges in the first two matches and a narrow loss to Man Utd.

After the mediocre start we had an impressive run and managed to hold both Spurs and Arsenal to a draw. Three wins goes a long to make us feel more secure and confident in our tactic.

Probably not the most entertaining match of the season.

November and December look bleak with only two wins in ten matches. Duche keeps backing the boys, saying how pleased he is with the performance, even when losing. The boys are putting in a shift and every loss is narrow. Only losing by one goal and/or drawing to team like Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle shows that there is potential to win these games.

As expected with this playstyle, and true to the real life version, goals are hard to come by. Maxi Gomez hasn't exactly been prolific, and Lyle Foster hasn't managed to prove that he is good enough for the prem.

Defense is a different story, we are among the team with the least conceded,

OUT:

It was a busy January to say the least. Dyche was never the one to stand in the way if a good offers comes in, and Duche aims to stay true to that,

Our magnificent GK Muric has been rumoured away since the summer, and Man City stepped up their interest with a £30mill bid. He managed 10 clean sheets in 20 matches before leaving, a big loss for us.

Ivan Azon made a move to Southampton for £15mill. He didn't develop at the rate that Duche expected, and changes had to be made in attack.

Ben Johnson complained about being behind Connor Roborts in the pecking order and was told that he could leave if he wasn't okay with it. A Saudi club came to the rescue and offered £23mill.

Luke McNally was sold to Norwich for £24.5mill.

Other not so important players also left.

IN:

It was sad to see Muric leave, but nothing is ever so bad that it isn't good for nothing. Muric leaving left us with a lot of money and we could bring in more domestic players.

Dean Henderson will replace Muric and cost us only £9mill from Crystal Palace. Nathan Baxter joined from Bolton as a backup GK.

In attempt to fix our goal scoring form, Duche looked to the championship and concluded that West Brom forward Daryl Dike was the man that would solve our problems. Dike has been in good form for West Brom, scoring in every other game this season and the last.

A partner for Holding was needed and Philipp Lienhart from Bayern came in for £14mill . The Austrian has international experience, the mental capacity to remain calm under pressure, and the aerial ability to win any header.

Tommy Doyle joined us from Man City for £7.5 mill. The ambition is for him to learn a role that is almost extinct in modern football, the wide midfielder.

Last but not least, with Ben Johnson leaving we had no backup at right back. Dyche was known for bringing in veterans of the game like Phil Bardsley and squeezing that last bit they had out of them. Duche decided to bring in Stuart Dallas on a loan, certain that his work ethic and professional attitude would be good for the dressing room.

Dary Dike aka quadzilla

After reinforcing, draw quickly became wins. A major boost was winning 1-0 at Turf Moor against Man Utd.

But our biggest upset of the season was yet to come:

Lucky? Maybe, but who cares! We aren't here to make friends after all.

Our impressive results continued for the remainder of the season.

I'm extremely pleased, not necessarily with ending up mid table, but more with how it happened. Getting 9th while scoring only 42 goals and conceding only 35 is extremely Burnley-esque, which is the sole purpose of this save.

Next season will determine if this was just luck with all our opponents underestimating us, or if Burnley will stay strong in their second season.

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by lied90

[lied90]

This save update is discontinued.

Results are great but I'm tired of not being able to play proper hoofball. Even with everything enabled to make players cross floating crosses from deep, clear it towards our strikers etc I still see so much tiki taka passing. It's just not satisfying.