[FM24] Catching Carlo

[mannojunior]

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I’ve been playing Football Manager since FM08 when I was introduced to the game by one of my friends. I’ve been hooked ever since then! Like most, I’ve leaned towards managing smaller clubs and working my way up to the top. I can’t actually remember the last save I did where I managed an elite team from the off. In this series that changes. Welcome to Catching Carlo.

This save is also being blogged over on the FM Boot Room and you can view this here.

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Thursday 1st June 2023 – extracted from liverpoolfc.com

 

“This is an open letter to the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. This is the end of an era. Jurgen has done wonders for this football club and he will forever be a legend. He has laid the foundations for us to grow and now I ask for your support.

You may not all know who I am but I am determined to leave this club as a legend, just like Jurgen. We have the players, the infrastructure and the leadership to progress and flourish. Now all we need is you. I may not be the legendary coach you had wanted or the former club icon that so many idolise but the owners have recognised my success and potential and have given me the chance to lead this great club.

The last decade has seen the club rise to the top with a Premier Division Title and a Champions League win. We now have a chance to build on this as we look to create a legacy.

I have a vision. I have a philosophy and I hope you can all embrace this. I focus on nurturing the young talent available through the academy as well as bringing in young talent where available. I want to entertain, the team will give you high intensity, high pressing and a reason to roar. It has been agreed with the board that to match my philosophy and vision for the club we will be limited to a maximum of three signings per season. We will rely on young and up and coming talent from our academy and give our youngsters the chance to become the next Trent.

I write this message in the hope that you will support me in my views and the blueprint that has been laid down. More than ever we will need your support and I cannot wait to meet you all in pre-season. Until then, YNWA. Carlos”.

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An Introduction

Welcome to a brand new save and a brand new blog. I must start with a massive thank you to every single one of you who took the time to read and follow any of my posts on my Spartans save. I have put this on hold for now as I look to get stuck in to my second blog save of the FM24 cycle. Having spent 6 seasons at Spartans and done a one club save I had the hankering for a save with the big boys. There is only so much time during a year of FM that you can enjoy the financial constraints of a save like Spartans but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Those who know me and especially those in the FM Library discord know that I struggle to play FM saves without a narrative. Therefore, I am pleased to introduce Carlos Nunes.

Who Is Carlos Nunes?

Carlos Nunes is a 37 year old Portuguese football manager, born on 10th November 1986. Born in Lisbon, Nunes started his playing career at Benfica before going on to make over 100 appearances for the club at senior level. A central midfielder by trade, the Portuguese international made 55 appearances for his country and amassed 12 goals. Nunes left Benfica at the age of 22 to join AC Milan and went on to play for Barcelona and Ajax before finishing his career at FC Porto. Nunes called it time on his playing career at the age of 35 and has managed FC Porto’s u21 team since then and is considered a hot prospect in the world of football management.

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Save Objectives

Catching Carlo has only one primary objective. Catch the Don. Carlo Ancelotti has won four UEFA Champions League titles during his managerial career, making him the most successful manager in the competition. Our aim, beat his record. Plain and simple our objective is to have more Champions League trophies than Don Carlo. Carlo currently has four to his name but as the save progresses he will have the chance to add more.

As you will have seen noticed, Carlos has been given the chance to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager. Carlos will move between clubs as he sees fit but his managerial philosophy will stay the same. Carlos’ philosophy brings the following restrictions to the save:

(a) a maximum of three signings per season at any club he manages;
(b) focus on youth development and offer a pathway for young talent at the club to receive first team opportunities;
(c) improving youth facilities and recruitment at all clubs with the aim of creating an elite youth academy at each club;
(d) recruitment will focus on any new signing being 24 and younger – older players can be signed if they are considered elite talents;
(e) new signings will be data driven; and
(f) a tactical philosophy that focuses on a high press and high intensity game

Hopefully the above explains the restrictions imposed on us as we move around clubs. We are looking to create elite youth academies whilst also bringing in young talent within the restrictions. Enough waffling, let’s get into it shall we?

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The Foundations

Our journey begins in Merseyside as Carlos Nunes becomes the successor to Jurgen Klopp. The club already has state of the art youth facilities and an elite youth setup which means that there are no improvements to be made to the infrastructure. Instead, we will focus on giving regular game time to our hot prospects coupled with a couple of young additions.

As you would expect, we join the club with a very strong squad in place. Van Dijk, Salah and Alisson as our key men but all of them are now the wrong side of 30. Van Dijk and Alisson are my priorities to keep around but I am very much open to phasing out our reliance on Salah and to bring through a new front three. Remember the 2017 ‘red arrows’ as they were described? Mane, Salah and Firmino on the break and scoring goals for fun. That’s what we want to bring back.

Stefan Bajcetic is arguably our biggest young talent and I will be using him as our starting DM with the option of rotating him with Wataro Endo as the season progresses. He will no doubt flourish with the exposure to Premier League and European football and is what this save is all about.

Ryan Gravenberch, a familiar face for all of us FM players. At just 21 years old, he has a good few years ahead of him where he can improve and he is already an excellent option for us. In line with our philosophy, he will get regular game time in central midfield and will almost certainly contribute with goals.

Harvey Elliott is another player that seems older than he is, most likely due to the prominence of his performances for Liverpool in real life but we forget he is just 20. Another who will get minutes in central midfield and who can also offer on option out on the right hand side of our attack.

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Summer Transfer Window

In line with our transfer policy we have focussed on young talent available to us. With no major outgoings we were given a transfer budget of £66 million to spend and I have decided to keep one transfer slot available for January should we need it.

Upon joining the club I identified three key positions which could do with improvement with those positions being centre back, left attacking midfield and left back. I opted not to look into a new left back as although Andy Robertson is arguably not as good as he has been, we still have Kostas Tsimikas available as a more than capable back up.

 I therefore stepped up my search for a new centre back to partner Virgil Van Dijk. With Joel Matip set to run down his contract and Joe Gomez more of a right back, the only option to partner our skipper is Konate. I am not the biggest fan of Konate (not sure why) and I wanted to make a statement signing. This lead to the eventual signing of Goncalo Inacio from Sporting for a fee of £45 million.

Incidentally, I had whittled the shortlist down to Bastoni, Inacio and Diomande, also of Sporting. Bastoni wasn’t interested in the move and upon comparison, I opted for Inacio over Diomande. At 22 he has time to develop but he is also currently at an elite level and capable of slotting straight in. Add to that the fact that he is a left footer and it makes for the perfect partnership with VVD.

Yes you are reading that correctly. Kvaradonna has joined us from Napoli on a season long loan. No fees other than a very small wage contribution of £10.25k per week. It was a no brainer once we realised he was available and we acted fast. The deal makes a lot of sense for us as we look to phase out Salah and I full expect him to leave for Saudi either in January or next summer.

22 years old, quick, technical and the ability to play on the left and right, what’s not to like? He ticks all the boxes as we look to bring through the next generation of superstars. There is an optional fee in the summer of £110 million and I have no intention of paying that at this stage but he will give us a season of quality, that’s for sure.

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Tactical Philosophy

As touched upon at the start of this post, there will be a significant focus on our tactical approach. At every club Carlos Nunes manages, he will take with him his brand of football. The focus will be on a high press, high intensity style. Possession is not the be all and end all in football for Carlos. Quick counter attacks and fluid transitions will bring exciting football. Think 2017/18 Liverpool with the front three flying forward on the counter, that is what we are looking for. Pure entertainment.

I wouldn’t usually use an IWB but given that we have Trent at our disposal it’s worth a shot. The main focus will be in central midfield. I have absolutely loved the double mezzala combination on FM24 and it causes absolute chaos. With a Half Back sitting in with the two centre backs it gives us a form of protection.

The above is an illustration of how it works out of possession. You’ll see Bajcetic slots in between Van Dijk and Inacio and he will stick to that position and offer an extra layer of protection. The two central midfielders are pushed up and ready to press alongside the front three. Trent starts out in a conventional right back position but as soon as we win possession he slots in to midfield alongside our Half Back. It forms almost a 3-2-5 in possession as the central midfielders are so high. Chaos ball and I am all for it.

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The Dream Start?

Before we recap our first month in charge it is worth setting expectations for this season. I see it as a free hit as we aren’t in the Champions League and there is no reward for domestic success although a league title or piece of silverware would be nice. We must qualify for the Champions League this season, whether that be through league position or winning the Europa League it simply has to happen. Carlo is already getting an extra year on us and his Real Madrid side will be challenging for the UCL again this year!

A unique tactical system is always likely to take time to perfect and we cannot be judged on three games but it’s a very positive start. Comfortable victories over Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United and a point against Aston Villa isn’t a bad return. Cody Gakpo has been in fine form bagging in every single competitive game so far.

A relatively straightforward Europa League group on paper which will allow us the chance to rotate and blood some of the youngster in an elite environment. Anything less than top spot in Group H would be a disappointment.

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Until next time

It’s now time for Carlos Nunes to navigate through his first season at the helm of Liverpool. We will be back at the end of his first season to review progress. Until then, thank you so much for reading and enjoy your day!

 

 

Edited May 26 by mannojunior