[FM24] Football Italia

[Deisler26]

        Deisler  Ben

South American keepers

[adam_otbfm]

I love the thought you put into all the extra bits of data collection you do, the marginal gains that you give you a clearer overall view. Also, Hoyos looks absolutely unreal!

[_Ben_]

15 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

    Deisler  Ben

South American keepers

True! I do love an Argentine in Italy, too - got five of them in the squad now! Bonus is how many of them hold Italian citizenships, too: really helps with meeting squad rules but adding some nice South American flair!

14 hours ago, adam_otbfm said:

I love the thought you put into all the extra bits of data collection you do, the marginal gains that you give you a clearer overall view.

Thanks. I've always spent FM money as if it were my own, for some reason! Just means that I end up trying to justify all kinds of things to myself.

14 hours ago, adam_otbfm said:

Also, Hoyos looks absolutely unreal!

I do feel a little bad about having to move Esposito on, just a year into a new three year contract after being at the club since Serie C, but we are a growing club and Hoyos, if not already, could be world class! 

[Slipky]

On 06/09/2024 at 19:42, _Ben_ said:

This is pretty outlandish for me! Guido Hoyos, currently at Serie B Como, is going to absolutely smash my transfer record when he arrives next summer. Como, despite managing to hold on to him for one season in Serie B, have an Argentine international keeper who could be our number one for the next fifteen years and were holding him, almost against his will. In comparison with Esposito, he's a far superior player but held on for a year given that my current number one had just signed a new deal and, therefore, wouldn't be interested in a move away. Even with a relatively small contract, I couldn't afford to keep them both at the club, plus, the extra year at a top club in Serie B will only benefit Guido. With the money available in the budget now, but no assurances of it it next season, I felt that this was a sensible move, depleting something that we have, knowing I'm likely to lose money over the course of the year.

Brilliant capture, Ben. Hoyos is money well spent - And will repay that investment rather quickly, I believe. Him being able to hone himself for another season in Serie B isn't a bad idea either.

[Jogo Bonito]

Just caught up again now, some really excellent recent posts since i was last online.

With great transfer-business summaries, an impressive squad review and excellent graphics, all else I can say is 'congrats on the well-deserved promotion' and good luck in your preparations for the new season.

Italian sides with an Argentina influence is a real plus for me, and my next Italian save (for FM25) will surely see me take a different approach from domestic-inspired Bologna to a cosmopolitan recruitment strategy. I usually lose interest reading about stories after 3-5 years when players are 'fake', but still enjoying how you have taken this with small steps until now, well done indeed.

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, Slipky said:

Brilliant capture, Ben. Hoyos is money well spent - And will repay that investment rather quickly, I believe. Him being able to hone himself for another season in Serie B isn't a bad idea either.

Thanks! I am really excited about having him at the club and think I've made the right decision letting him stay in Serie B, given Como's performances:

  

And his own:

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Just caught up again now, some really excellent recent posts since i was last online.

With great transfer-business summaries, an impressive squad review and excellent graphics, all else I can say is 'congrats on the well-deserved promotion' and good luck in your preparations for the new season.

Italian sides with an Argentina influence is a real plus for me, and my next Italian save (for FM25) will surely see me take a different approach from domestic-inspired Bologna to a cosmopolitan recruitment strategy. I usually lose interest reading about stories after 3-5 years when players are 'fake', but still enjoying how you have taken this with small steps until now, well done indeed.

Thank you! I'm really enjoying our first foray into Serie A - which is obviously a spoiler for 'we're doing well!'

I have always talked about trying to set up pathways for common recruitment and did so with African players in Turkey on FM23 and then non-big 5 leagues with Leverkusen earlier on FM24 but, with our non-EU restrictions here, I think that dual nationality players have to be my go-to.

For me - the game comes alive with newgens but I can see that sometimes it becomes harder to read and engage with because they're not seeing screenshots of them day in day out from when they arrived at 15 to when they reach the peak of their powers!

[Jogo Bonito]

Glad to hear Serie A is going well so far! Fully agree the dual-nationals in Italy is a really important approach to take, not just with the Argentines but there are also some Uruguayan and Brazilians that come up too.

Yes agreed on the newgens. A special talent that you see coming through yourself, watching them developing and making an impact is exciting for the manager. It probably says more more about me and my own preference than anything else, as I rarely play more than 2-3 season saves so probably don't often connect with them even if they're my own. 

[_Ben_]

Season Eight: Enjoying life in the big time!

On the pitch, we're continuing to perform miracles, even at this level but, as seen from our commercial income and the half-empty stadium whenever we play at home - we're still a pretty small fish in the massive pond that is Serie A.

Nice progression was made - with a highly rotated squad - against Pro Vercelli, kicking off a season where we would face much harder challenges. However, one simply does not go to the Giuseppe Meazza, against the reigning Serie A champions and win. Or do they? Vinci poked in after a minute from close range as my defensive full back duo of Carboni and Mussolini combined across the wings and, arguably, should have doubled our lead five minutes later, as we called their sweeper keeper into play, pulling them forward before playing it over the top. I opted for Moraga as a A(d) instead of captain Lucenti as a DLP(s) – arguably a contentious decision to drop your captain for the first game of the season, but it paid off as he marshalled the defensive area and stopped the hosts from getting any real chances. The match review shows that this was not a lucky result for and I’m absolutely delighted!

Whilst the Torino tie was of much lower quality, we restricted our opponents to just a solitary shot on target – taking the total to two for the season – and 0.06xG. Our 0.85xG was hardly prolific but we’re a team that will build around a strong defence and, thanks to Zapelli’s first goal in ten hours, we made it two from two.

Our magical start continued with a comeback win over rivals Catania before a series of six draws in a row started away at Roma. Against Milan, we created some lovely overloads through counter attacking play, pushing their players to one side, before triggering aggressive pressing traps and switching play quickly. This approach went even further against Juve, when we targeted their young left backs, Battara – firstly – and then Luppi – a substitute. Moving from a WB(au) to a WB(a) with a WCB(s) behind, overlapping on the right and setting Kmet, the chosen attacking midfielder, to man mark that area, meant we pushed a strong Juve team right to the end.

I changed slightly against Atalanta, initially employing the wide second strikers – Kmet and Farrera – but then moved to get them to mark their double pivot, pushing them wide and leaving Bellino able to resist moving forward so aggressively. With one attacker, I was also able to use Cubarsi as a libero, stepping up to receive the ball. A 3-3 draw painted the picture of a real spectacle, but their xG chart paints a more solid picture of a 0.68xG tap in, a soft – 0.79xG – penalty and a 0.11xG shot that deflected and wrong-footed our keeper. 

To have made it that far - facing both Milan teams, Juventus and Roma still remaining unbeaten was a fantastic achievement for us. Our run continued against Modena as I tried to pick up on little things - a right/right combination in the second striker role, with both defenders being weak on the left foot - trying to enable as much progressive chaos as possible plus identifying a very out of shape single pivot and working really hard, with some pressing traps, to make his afternoon a misery!

A very different game against Udinese, where, at 2-0 up after eighty minutes, I'd want to be walking away with the points. We were never really in the game from the start, so I changed up our style a little - went more cautious and encouraged more ball retention, making Udinese press us and tire them out. Once that happened, I was able to then kick up a gear into a more aggressive, positive style and play through their tired legs. Unfortunately, with such fine margins here, I think we overdid it and, once I wanted to sit ourselves, the home side were all over us and two late goals, the last assisted by the keeper's knock down at a corner - a truly infuriating way to see a goal set up - before being palmed, weakly, into the back of his own net by Esposito was, probably, just what we deserved from it. Considering that we absolutely battered our way to the Serie B title - this type of game management is something that I need to revisit and learn methods for against much, much higher quality players. Still - 10 unbeaten!

My 300th game, on my seven year anniversary of joining Messina was a special one as we took on, and easily beat table topping Fiorentina, who are managed by Kevin Nolan - something I just can't quit get my head around. With 2.42xG to their 0.36xG, our attacking performance was just as strong as our defensive one - overwhelming their backline in the quintessentially English 442 shape. We left our scoring boots in Sicily though and looked poor - for probably the first time this season - away at Monza.

A couple of poor performances against Salernitana and our first defeat of the season away at Sassuolo - a game that we probably didn't deserve to lose. That then preceded another dull tie with Bologna. Our strategy of setting pressing traps and nullifying opposition threats is working wonderfully well but we have become a little stale going forward. Absolutely to be expected for a newly promoted team, but, already, I'm setting goals for next season that involve turning these draws into wins.

The poor - I say poor but what I really mean is poor in comparison to the earlier days of the season and not our overall season expectations - form continued against Napoli where a very dodgy penalty gave them the three points but, against the top side in the team, we absolutely were not outclassed, which is fantastic for us. The spell ended as our kids came out for the Coppa Italia tie against Serie B Empoli, which we won at a canter.

A bit of an odd table neither of the teams from the capital - Lazio and Roma - even making the top half. There is, perfectly for us, quite the drop off after Juve, with six points to Lazio, a further one to Roma and one more to Torino - all teams that should be above us this time around. Juventus have just sacked Jurgen Klopp but can probably count themselves unlucky based on expected points. Modena, playoff winners last year, have risen to sixteenth, Catania sit in nineteenth - on eleven points - one more than bottom side Genoa.

With the best defence in the league - albeit not the best xGA in the league - owing somewhat to Esposito's strong performances and the joint least defeats, we are absolutely smashing my pre-season predictions of lower middle table. As a team, we have a total of 267 Serie C appearances and 1512 Serie B appearances and I think that this is key to our successes – we are a collective team that has risen together. We’ve reached the top flight and added two new players, with another two – Viti and Carboni – coming in January and experiencing six months in Serie B; we’ve not rebuilt the squad and that has had such a big impact.

Overall - this is a fantastic showing! With the foundations now in place, the next update will take into account the transfer window and a lot more statistical work - I hope! 

Forza Biancoscudati!

[adam_otbfm]

A fantastic start to life in Serie A mate, to have only lost 2 games is sensational work! My favourite part of all of it was the bravery to drop your captain in the first game because it suited the needs of the match. I'm not sure many would pull the trigger on that even if they were convinced it was the way to go!

[Deisler26]

I tend to find that if you've set your team up right, you tend to get a lot of draws after coming up. 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

we're still a pretty small fish in the massive pond

Taking some bites out of the bigger fish, though . Form looks pretty impressive to me!

[uroszila]

Impressive start of the season in Serie A and really good signings. I wonder what kind of training are you using and if you are struggling with the injuries? I have much more injuries on FM24 than on previous editions and I cannot find the right recipe to decrease the numbers.

Keep up the good work.

[_Ben_]

23 hours ago, adam_otbfm said:

A fantastic start to life in Serie A mate, to have only lost 2 games is sensational work! My favourite part of all of it was the bravery to drop your captain in the first game because it suited the needs of the match. I'm not sure many would pull the trigger on that even if they were convinced it was the way to go!

The plan is, and always will be to, create different options. We're lacking a little in true offensive options but we can build very differently - even through the same roles just with different players.  That, to me, is the highest quality of squad building.

20 hours ago, warlock said:

Taking some bites out of the bigger fish, though . Form looks pretty impressive to me!

True! It'll keep coming with our counter attacking style too, whilst we're under dogs!

22 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

I tend to find that if you've set your team up right, you tend to get a lot of draws after coming up. 

I'm currently the longest serving manager in Serie A and the fourth longest in the top three tiers; I think that this pays off in terms of squad togetherness and does allow us to fight against the bigger boys in the league. Tactically, things have really evolved since season two despite playing the same shape since then and I think we've got to a point whereby I'm able to predict more passages of play than before and can act accordingly.

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, uroszila said:

Impressive start of the season in Serie A and really good signings. I wonder what kind of training are you using and if you are struggling with the injuries? I have much more injuries on FM24 than on previous editions and I cannot find the right recipe to decrease the numbers.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the kind words!

Injuries are ok at the moment but we're only just into January and that's as busy as November was. Our fallback, as pretty much every newly promoted side's will be, is our depth outside of those key players if and when they are injured.

In terms of training, I've got six schedules that I tend to use - with three for Saturday games and three for Sunday games. Here they are:

Non-negotiables are the lead up to the match (tactics and routines) and the time after the match (review, recovery and outreach - particularly if it's a game where morale could be hit). Whilst we're told it has no impact, I like to schedule my attacking practice around games where we'll need it - in this case, going harder against a Juventus team devoid of confidence at the moment. 

At youth level, I am currently trying to create a technical heavy attack/defence two week rotation given the needs I currently have there. Neither are finished or in any way would be classed as game breaking - just an attempt at trying to be sensible with it!

[_Ben_]

Season Eight: Acclimatising...

I think that maybe the wording in the title is doing a disservice to the job that we're doing this season, remembering that it is our first in Serie A. Our style of play - for some reason currently considered as route one - has had many an ex professional raving about us but, ever the optimist, I think we might be able to give even more!

I look back at some of these results and just wonder how we have managed to pull them off! The double completed against reigning champions Inter in some style, too - just giving up our clean sheet from a lapse late on but stopping the visitors from ever really getting into the box or creating chances. Within a week, we'd then knocked the Old Lady out of the Coppa Italia, holding our nerve in the penalty shootout to send them packing, adding a cup failure to their current league struggles. We then beat Roma, drew with Inter, beat Roma and then demolished Fiorentina - a run of games against teams that a club like this should have no chance against!

We're fearless, well drilled and absolutely the tightest knit unit going, and that is shown in the table, below.

The best actual defence and the third best expected defence is no mean feat for a side not in the top four, let alone a side predicted to not even be in the top flight at all. Our next five sees us play just two of the top ten as we've successfully navigated games against some of the bigger teams prior to that. With no Lazio, Roma or Torino in the top half and relegation a real threat for mid table Genoa, this has certainly been an odd season. But, honestly, I am waiting for the bad run: it'll come at some point. I know that. What we have got though, is a really strong foundation to work from and quite the cushion back to Juve; I'm not saying its insurmountable, but I am saying that Enzo Maresca has his work cut out to finish above little old Messina!

But, oddly, I think we could be doing better...

This crudely made graph shows the comparison of our goals and expected goals against our league position, with the intention of showing you that many of the top teams - seen by a white line higher up - have scored many more goals than us. Currently, a ratio of 1.53: 0.73 goals scored to goals conceded is great, meaning we're scoring twice as many as we concede but that isn't going to cut it eventually if we plan to get up with the big boys.

I think that some of it can come down to my tactical direction...

With two SS(A) behind either a DLF(s) or F9(s), I haven't quite approached my attacking trio with as much fluidity as I have with the defensive/transitional groupings and I do think that it can make us very one-dimensional at times. Of course, I know our limitations as a newly promoted side and also a side without the riches of some of the teams here and, probably most importantly, I know that this style isn't really going to see me have a 20-goal striker, who leads the line, dominates crosses and duels or is a fox in the box. Quite the opposite, in fact. My two main scorers start much deeper and spend a portion of their time actually being defensive/transitional players and, what is more, a lot of their ability to get on the ball is determined by the strength of hold up or link play from the deep lying forward, who himself must be able to find space to link phases.

I don't think that the goals have quite been shared out as well as I anticipated, though:

Interestingly, it is converted striker, Owusu, often maligned and deemed not good enough by myself, who leads the way with scoring and is the only player to be scoring at more than one goal in two appearances. Aside from Vinci, every single other attacker is also underperforming their xG which suggests that, whilst I should be really happy that we're creating good chances, we're either not good enough to score them or just unlucky. Some weight must go into either argument but not one I can necessarily prove as we continue our meteoric, and fast paced, rise through the leagues. Zapelli has probably been the biggest disappointment this season, with just four contributions and a host of pretty invisible performances, but, with his win % being the lowest, maybe it's because I trust him the most against bigger teams and he's more stifled than the rest of the players.

So I used January to do some temporary fixing...

Salcedo (yes, his name is Eddie and not Eddy but I've just realised this) comes in from Southampton on loan. As a striker - an actual striker - I feel that I'm no longer necessarily in short supply. Whilst never the most prolific, with over 300 career games, he's been around the block a bit and has played in the top tiers of Italy and Portugal but has spent most of his time at Monza, in Serie B. He's on €54k per week at the Saints, so, even though his contract is expiring, it's going to take a phenomenal five months to see him being here longer term. Alvaro Montoro is a lad who I'm very excited about and he joins on loan from Velez with an optional future fee of €7m, which is a fair bit more than his actual asking price but I needed to sweeten the deal to get this one through the doors. He's got a number of attributes that I really want in our style of play and I'm excited that, given his dual nationality, he wouldn't be an issue to bring in, should I want to.

With eight player now vying for three slots, I'm playing a dangerous game in terms of squad happiness but it's one I need to do as I look to explore the best variations of my styles. With the core DNA attributes on the left, the more creative elements in the middle and the scoring attributes on the right, I think I'm building some nice options. It's clear that Owusu is different to the rest, lacking in passing and vision but making up for that in speed off the mark and technical ability, as well as being a strong finisher. Vinci, as pretty much all of my forwards - through height or heading ability - is poor in the air but can carry the ball well. Montoro has a great ability to dribble, pass and finish - the ultimate attacking trifecta and I feel that it will somewhat make up for his lack of height, pace (although he's quick off the mark just not fast over longer distances) and strength. I worry that his Determination is below par, too and he's not got the best personality.

I think, looking at the harmonic mean of their attributes, and then including youth players into that (using harmonic mean rather than mean to establish more punishment for a lower attribute), I've got some areas where I need to improve this attacking group but, thankfully, there are some strong players coming through. A good proportion of my promising youngsters are currently accessing first team football at one of my three feeder clubs:

It's little surprise that, with sixty contributions between two players, Trapani are running away with Serie D so, if Palmese do not come up to the playable league, I'll need to find another Serie D level club. Out in Croatia, my most promising youngsters are firing relegation candidates Rudes into Europe; they sit in third, eleven points ahead of reigning champions Dinamo Zagreb under the watchful eye of Dario Srna.

Some of these players, of course, won't make it, but this exposure will certainly help raise their value to keep them in the professional game longer.

- - -

Lots and lots to enjoy and look forward to!

Forza Biancoscudati!

[Slipky]

Great update Ben! Wasn't Salcedo quite the wonderkid (ish?) about a decade or so ago? I do remember that name. Looking good on Seria A, man - Great progress!

[_Ben_]

On 13/09/2024 at 07:58, Slipky said:

Great update Ben! Wasn't Salcedo quite the wonderkid (ish?) about a decade or so ago? I do remember that name. Looking good on Seria A, man - Great progress!

Yeah, I recall him mentioned on previous editions as a youngster at Genoa and then at Inter after they paid €8.5m for him. He's not really kicked on, in game, though and is pretty much just a journeyman striker looking for another payday!

Serie A has been a huge shock for me; I'd have never predicted success to this level. I just have to maintain now without losing interest because of size of transfer fees, wages etc!

[_Ben_]

Season Eight: Unprecedented successes.

What we're doing here is actually unprecedented. No team, since the start of the 2023/24 season, that has been promoted to the top flight and remained there, with records until last season, has finished above 15th placed in their first go at this league:

• 24/25 - Parma finished 17th
• 25/26 - Verona finished 20th
• 27/28 - Cremonese finished 20th and Parma finished 15th
• 28/29 - Pescara finished 20th
• 29/30 - Salernitana finished 16th and Verona finished 15th
• 30/31 - Parma finished 18th and Cremonese finished 17th

But we're not just talking mid-table, or top half - we're threatening the displace the big boys and finish in a spot that, at worst, will see us in the Europa Conference league, just twelve months after wrapping up a Serie B title, twenty-four, thirty-six and forty-eight after promotion heartache and just five years after promotion from Serie C - the third tier of Italian football.

Across that period of time, we have a couple of regulars, one of whom has gone on to become a multiple record breaker:

Whilst his compatriot from the youth team in 2024, Jacopo Lucenti - club captain - is probably more important, it is Ali who now holds the record for more appearances and goals for the club - with 104 in his 235 league games. Jacopo is four games behind and, probably, over the course of next season, will overtake my mercurial second-striker but this news has come at a good time for me, as I wrangle with the disappointment of a long term injury for Montoro, which has seen his loan prematurely ended and my youth intake.

The full sixteen graduates were signed and now join a 24-strong setup in the youth team as I really want to ensure that, among this tactical work and first team recruitment, I don't forget about the core of the club - and that is the Sicilian and southern Italian element to our player development. From some quick map searching, I can see that, currently, we have eight Sicily-born players with a further four being born south of Naples - the traditional cut off line between North and South. In the first team, that number drops to three: Lucenti and Owusu are from Messina itself, whilst Vinci hails from Santa Croce Camerina, which is on the south side of the island, due north of Malta. Viti hails from near Florence, Bellino from Milan, Esposito near Naples, Amey from just north of Genoa and Mussolini and Pisilli from Rome - so it's clear that the more developed players we have aren't coming from local to us.

A quick search of those born in the top (above about 40,000 population) Sicilian towns and cities gives me 719 players with three of the top four highest valued being ours - the aforementioned Lucenti and Owusu as well as Migliori, who is out on loan at Rudes at the moment. As part of our rise, I want to take over from both Catania and Palermo - the two biggest cities - as the lead producer of Sicilian players, born or just bred here.

Away from the geography lesson, we've done pretty well on the pitch!

A superb first five and a much more expected second as tired legs and some little niggling injuries are taking their toll. 4-0 wins over Atalanta and Udinese, two top ten sides, is another sign that we are absolutely here to fight among these giants of football

With the title likely heading to the red side of Milan this year, our focus is on securing continental football for next year, which, given that we play Cremonese, Napoli and in-form Lazio in the last three, is likely to not be Champions League football, which, obviously, I'm fine with. The catapult from Serie B to here worked best because we built slowly and, honestly, give me top ten next year and some fun in Europe and I'm more than happy!

Forza Biancoscudati!

[Slipky]

More than anything, the weakness of Juventus, Roma and Lazio have given you a chance to shine. It is absolutely crazy! Great job, Ben - An amazing leap forward.

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, Slipky said:

More than anything, the weakness of Juventus, Roma and Lazio have given you a chance to shine. It is absolutely crazy! Great job, Ben - An amazing leap forward.

Absolutely! It's really interesting to follow AI squads, and managers, longer term to see what they're doing and to help predict where they could be going. I've played the last three games now and, whilst not wanting give anything away about our form, it's clear to see that Juve have been somewhat unlucky - finishing ninth but should be sixth. This is different to both Lazio and Roma, with the formers xPos 13th and the latter 17th, which is consistent with the fact that Galliarossi did flirt with relegation at times.

Interestingly, all three have sacked managers with, probably, Ronny Deila being the most successful, taking Lazio from 16th in October to their finish of eighth. Whilst Maresca managed to halt the rot that saw Klopp drop from 3rd to 10th in four league games, he hasn't really turned it around, with just a 38% win percentage. Roma's old boss, Fossi, had been at the club six years since being taken from Serie C side Gubbio whereas Lucarelli comes in from Ipswich and has only won three of his first ten games at the club.

The makeup of their squads is interesting, too.

Now classed as only 'okay' financially with a spend of just €1.6m this year, I do wonder if these expensive, highly paid players will be on their way following a failure to make Europe. Juve's youth system is obviously strong but they've given less than 1,000 combined minutes to U21 players, obviously using their Next Gen squad, who play in Serie C. I do have concerns for them long term, if I'm honest!

Despite having a world class Totti regen in Giunta, the Roma squad feels a bit lopsided and odd in terms of quality. I don't quite think they're bottom half but with pretty much just the massive Kusi-Asare to play off up top, were quite easy to play against in their old 442. Lucarelli likes a diamond midfield so it'll be interesting to see what the likes of Brennan Johnson and Nicola Zalewski do over the summer, too.

The Lazio squad is the most interesting because, whilst being the weakest of the three, is very young and, honestly, I do think they have the right man in Deila to get the best out of them. With the likes of Sambi Lokonga, Almada, Pellegrini and Moise Kean in their squad, they've also got some experience to help bed in these lads. But, interestingly, Inter have just sacked Kompany and have Deila as their prime candidate, so that might completely mess things up!

Also in the bottom half are tycoon owned Udinese, who've splashed cash but never really made it and a really young Thiago Motta-managed Torino side, who looked good at times last year.

[Jogo Bonito]

This has been an incredibly strong first season in Serie A, I am impressed and to be honest very surprised. But very well done and good luck for the closing three fixtures!

I've only managed 5th, 3rd and 3rd in my three seasons so great to see you're already mixing it with the big boys! As I know you already appreciate, whatever the outcome this has been a tremendous effort from you and your carefully managed boys 

Edited September 15 by Jogo Bonito

[_Ben_]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

This has been an incredibly strong first season in Serie A, I am impressed and to be honest very surprised. But very well done and good luck for the closing three fixtures!

I've only managed 5th, 3rd and 3rd in my three seasons so great to see you're already mixing it with the big boys! As I know you already appreciate, whatever the outcome this has been a tremendous effort from you and your carefully managed boys 

I too have been very surprised and some of the results just feel odd - even though I've analysed in detail, watched in detail and micro-managed to the best of my abilities!

I think - and, spoiler here - we finished sixth - that, really, that's us being the ninth 'best' team with Juve, Roma and Lazio all having what you'd expect to be one off poor seasons. Going forward, it's just going to be about managing the off seasons for other teams and capitalising, plus, when the time comes, managing our own off season.

We'll find our true level soon and, particularly next season, I think we'll struggle more as teams now know what we're about. I'm going to have to really be on it tactically!

[_Ben_]

Season Eight: Great now; even greater in future?

Our final three fixtures produced three points but I didn't expect them to come in the order that they did, as we lost to Cremonese but beat a Napoli side who had realised that second place was locked up and were already on holiday.

Confirming our best ever finish, this has been an absolute joy to manage. I've said all season long that I've expected the bad form and, honestly, it's never truly arrived. Yes, we had flirted with third our fourth place and a dream Champions League campaign but we're far from ready and my job is to steadily build the team and the club, so this - already - is a season of huge progress. Milan and Napoli are the big movers from last year, whilst Juventus have really suffered and Inter too, in all honesty. Atalanta still can't break past fifth placed and Frosinone will enter the Europa Conference League, qualifying for Europe for the first time in this save after finishing nearly twenty points above their average and recording their highest league finish, obviously.

Our player stats are interesting - most notably showing the lack of a true goalscorer or, in the sense of not using a traditional nine, a number of players who could take the bull by the horns and score heavily. However, strong performances from Bellino and Lucenti, who contributed twenty-four times between them felt strong. A total of twenty-one assists came from the wing backs with only Mussolini being left behind there. Six and eight, respectively, contributions for Kmet and Farrera are ok in their first season in Italy but I do feel that they will need to kick on next time around if we want to replicate this as their 'competition' - Owusu and Vinci recorded eleven and thirteen each.

Over the summer, I want to focus to shift away from the first team. Despite a setback in search of a new stadium, the board have decided that they want to give me three years to create the best youth academy in the country. A match made in heaven for my playing style. So I'm going to dive in to what I've got, spend my hours and minutes on the game micromanaging this and, maybe, leaving the first team alone a bit more. With Hoyos coming in, I need to secure a move for Esposito - a really hard thing to do as he's one of the top keepers in this league but absolutely won't accept sitting on the bench, and rightly so - but aside from that, I anticipate little else to do! 

Kicking off my reshuffle is a bit of staffing news..

Michael Beale, who - for me as a Villa fan - maybe has a bit of a tainted reputation despite being the brains behind the Gerrard-era, joins after two years out of football. I don't know what would tempt a manager to join a youth side, but he brings vast experience and his real life experiences in South America should be ideal for the type of players I'm going to be building here. Joining him are two further English staff, after my adverts alerted some top young coaches: Christopher Butler and George Danaher are not my normal type of appointments but I really want quality here rather than my normal focus of nationality, ex players and personality and can all join together on their intensive language course across this season! They form part of a team that works with the youth sector, who have demolished the U18 league this year, falling at the final hurdle to Inter U18s. A bug in my game means that we've got no U20 league, which is why I'm putting so much more effort into the affiliate program.

Currently, I have:

• Rudes: 3rd in the Croatian top flight and a UECL team next year.
• Taranto: 1st in Serie C Girone C and a Serie B team next year
• Trapani: 1st in Serie D Girone I and a Serie C team next year
• Palmese: Eccellenza Calabria and maybe promoted to Serie D next year. 

This means that I've nearly got teams in all areas, depending on the Palmese promotion or not promotion. I'm going to be looking at providing four or five players to each of these clubs and then will also be looking at bigger clubs in European top flights for those who just need that finishing. This, however, can't be possible if I don't prioritise their development and have a clear goal for them from a very young age.

Below are the top-rated players within the club:

Moraga is an odd player but top of the list in terms of CA and PA. I feel like I've developed him well but then again, I look at him and feel he's slightly unfinished but, after 136 games for us, I don't feel like a loan would work. Then again, over 60% of his appearances have been off the bench and he flits around between wanting to be a defender and a holding midfielder, with me never really putting all my energy into one of the two. Migliori has had two loan spells - Virtus Entella in Serie C and Rudes in the top flight of the Croatian league - but now needs to move somewhere more reputable (above 25th in Europe) to really fine tune the last bit of his game. In Sacchetti, Chester and  De Cicco, we have a strong group of U18 players, which Zago will join after being the top youth candidate this year. I'm not too sold on what I want to do with my new lad but I'm thinking of going down the Lisandro Martinez route of an undersized but strong, brave and right place, right time defender. The first three, though, have key roles to play in my team and will hopefully grow, in tandem, in three of the four midfield roles. Chester is a cut above the rest but, ever since he came into the club, I must say that I am excited by the wrong footed element of Sacchetti at left wing back. Girard cut his teeth on loan last year and will continue that, and Gueye will be moved to a club, probably at Serie C level - likely to be Trapani, in order to meet his needs. It's also pretty cool because I don't think I've ever had a Mauritanian player in my squad!

All of the youngsters in this pot train with the first team and I think that it's having a really good impact on their development, mixing with the experienced professionals. I will have to be more careful this year to manage this as, with us entering European competition, our training schedules will be somewhat lighter around mid-week fixtures and I want to ensure that, despite the strong coaching setup in both areas, they're getting the consistency of training as well as quality of it.

Traore's loan at Trapani was cut short with a broken ankle but, with 27 goal contributions in 20 games, he's surely good enough to get a crack at Serie C. Nicolini bloomed in the Eccellenza and will add another season to his half season spell in Serie D. He's one dimensional but a real threat when carrying the ball and has scored heavily, like Traore before him. I love Mirabelli as much as the Trapani fans do after he contributed forty-two times in thirty games last year but my fear is he's just not sure whether he's a forward or an attacking mid; jack of both trades but master of none. A loan to Serie C will happen but I'm conscious that he and Gueye are very similar so can't send them to the same place!

The next crop of players has some first teamers in but, honestly - like with Moraga - I feel a sense of an underperformance in the development of Vinci and Biagioni, but I must consider that 'five star potential' in Serie C - when Vinci graduated - is very different to now and, in all likelihood, he's probably reached his ceiling and that will just reconfigure as the season goes on. There's some decent youth here but I'm not necessarily sold on any of them truly being in the style of what I want: Palazzolo is a decent sweeper keeper but the rest - Arana, Colell and Fuentes - don't really have the necessary attributes and may look to be used for profit and FFP compliance, should we need it.

The last list of above average players here actually contains four of my important first team players and two players who have gone through this whole process themselves, Lucenti and Owusu. In terms of loans, Kouakou will continue but move somewhere other than Palmese, probably but the rest will probably stay. Although I don't necessarily post about them that much these days and, certainly, I don't go into the depth will Excel as I used to - I have a fairly rudimentary piece of work that charts their attribute growth from entry to exit of my youth setup and, interestingly, you can see that it is Matteo Colzi who has made the most attribute progress year on year so far in this test.

- - -

I'm now at the hyper focus stage of this save, trying to maximise everything I can through the club to achieve the bigger picture!

Forza Biancoscudati!

[Deisler26]

You love to see it!

[_Ben_]

Season Nine: Preparations are underway

If I want to take over the world, I have to do it in small steps. Honestly - I don't really want that, but I do want the best youth academy in the country and need to do that through some small steps. I've analysed the trends of what kind of players I'm getting through my academy in order to better work on training schedules to ready them for the next phases of their career, set up some loan deals to my affiliates and then - in a most unlike me move - spent all of my transfer budget, and even a bit more!

And I spent it all on just two players, too:

When I think of Honduras, I do have some nostalgia around Maynor Figueroa's wonder goal for Wigan and the little insurgence of Honduran players that made the move to the Premier League but, honestly, most of my memories of FM-related Hondurans are those who plied their trade in Italy: Edgar Álvarez – Cagliari, Roma, Messina, Livorno, Bari, Palermo – 2004–08, 2009–12, Julio César de León – Reggina, Genoa, Messina – 2002–04, 2006–08, 2012-13 and David Suazo – Cagliari, Inter, Genoa, Catania – 1999–2000, 2004–08, 2009–10, 2011–12. Whilst the first two have actually represented Biancoscudati and, with that, I feel a sense of realism in that this is an area they've targeted - to some success, too - it is the last whose memory still lives on. I can't find an English screenshot but, here, back in 2003, Suazo was a monster attacker, renowned for his lightning quick pace and scoring ability, which, of course, was easy to exploit back in the day! Now, David Acosta is not a carbon copy of him, but he is the nation's best player at present and one of only two players playing in the top flights of big European leagues, with a winger currently at PSV.

I wanted to think both about the presenta and the future with this deal so opted for a younger player - in this case 23 - but then someone who had also scored heavily. There were no U23 strikers across the T5 leagues who had scored more than twenty goals, let alone had any interest in joining us, but, when I widened the scope to include Portugal and more than twelve goals, David appeared. His stats for a top-half Academica de Viseu side are interesting - lots of goals but a really low shot xG: he's capable of doing the difficult things really well, but, obviously - and thanks to the xG Philosophy for this slice of realism - is expected to not reach such heady heights again given his large overperformance. What has drawn me to him though is he's more than just a big forward with some traits that would initially make me shout 'Target Man!' - he's good on the ball, links play, is really brave and works hard for the team.

We were nearly priced out - €9.25m rising to, potentially, €12.5m is all of my money this summer and it means that there will be no spending on new wing backs or replacing Charlie Patino, who left on a free. It also meant that I had to rush another sale, which didn't go down too well with the board - and that was of Luca Kmet, enabling me to free up the non-EU spot for the Honduran. Literally, I looked for the easiest to move midfielder and he hadn't done as well as some of the others; it's a harsh world but we need to make ourselves better and David does that.

Guido Hoyos makes his move after securing the Serie B title with Como and, probably, being the best young keeper in Europe, if not one of the best overall keepers, too. I felt the difficulty in selling club icon Esposito, especially as we didn't quite offset this deal, getting €8.5m for him but - like Acosta above - I need to do these things for the better of the team. Hoyos is, by far, the best player at the club and I hope to build the team around him for years to come.

I still insist that, player by player, we are not a top ten team, let alone a top six team but, as a team, we are a collective and the cohesion between us allows us to do what we are doing so well. Not wanting to ruin that, I think that two in and just a few out means very little will have changed and the core of the team - Hoyos, Amey, Cubarsi, Lucenti, Bellino, Vinci and Acosta is really strong and settled, allowing slower recruitment and development of other areas.

With the first team set up, I turned my attention to the youth side after being able to get two new affiliates on board, seemingly making the most of the new season reset on that request! Biancavilla of Masalucia (birthplace of academy lad Luke Chester) are an Eccellenza side now after being relegated from Serie D last term. They're the lowest level of affiliate and I haven't sent anyone there, just yet, but may do should I have those Serie D level players who need football at 18 and are maybe low in confidence. Next up, I was able to add Portuguese side Santa Clara to the arsenal of clubs that operate under my wing. They're mid table and have decent training facilities but, importantly, will give my players access to opposition such as Benfica, Sporting and Porto - where the real gains are made.

I've sent a total of twelve players out on loan:

Three players returning to this level in Palazzolo, Mirabelli and Colell, albeit at a new club. Whilst the three of them performed really well, I'm not sure quite how much they developed so want to just ensure that they have access to first team football - especially for Mirabelli, who would - I'm sure - benefit from another strong season in front of goal. After some really strong progression, Colzi moves out too; he's not 18 yet but I'm interested to see if the strong progression continues or was just a flash in the pan.

 

Cassano and Kouakou are kind of in the shop window now, moving up from the Eccellenza to Serie C but are old enough now to have matured and played a decent amount of games, just now needing the finishing touches for them before, most likely, being sold on. Traore lit up Serie D at Trapani but returns a level higher, as does Nicolini as I realise that I've sent them three attacker, which will likely see Andrea move to a striker role where his pace could be terrifying for defenders.

The newly promoted Serie B side get my two Spaniards, fresh from spells in Croatia. I'm not entirely sure about either, as I've previously mentioned, so hope that this is the best way to increase value for a future sale.

A real wildcard decision here and one I may come to regret. I don't really thin that Gueye is good enough to play top flight football in Croatia but my decision was made based on the fact that they have a Conference League campaign and, with a new manager who favours two strikers replacing a man who favoured one, they have a shortfall here as well as the fact that striker slots had already been taken elsewhere at my feeder clubs.

I'm hoping that Santa Clara can be my finishing school and provide a year out before entry back into the first team, so that is where Migliori has gone. He was strong in Croatia and this is a step up for him but he should be among the better players at the club. I have really high hopes for him.

- - -

I'm excited! Time for some tactical battles.

Forza Biancoscudati!

[lfds89]

Congratulations on a great season!

Em 15/09/2024 em 18:17, _Ben_ disse:

Our player stats are interesting - most notably showing the lack of a true goalscorer

Do you feel this could be a problem when the stakes are higher?

[_Ben_]

4 hours ago, lfds89 said:

Congratulations on a great season!

Do you feel this could be a problem when the stakes are higher?

Yes and no.

I'm building a team that has goals everywhere and, as such, one that means we don't need to rely on a particular player or style of build up to score. Right now, nine goals across my five centre backs - the taller players in the squad - tells me that my set pieces aren't as efficient as I want, so we have to make that up in other ways. Fine when my strikers are scoring, but not so much when they're not. This is why we somewhat got away as the holding mids provided fourteen goals to counter the lack of my forwards adding more. When they all turn up, it'll be a dream!

Part of that is recruitment, part of that is coaching and part of that is tactical knowledge. I'm happy with my upgrade on the first one, so now need to focus on the coaching and in-game changes to maximise what I have.

[Catley06]

Long long long time lurker - just wanted to say love all the posts you've made, rejuvenated my interest in not only FM, but Football as a whole!

Looking forward to your next season ahead - one question regarding your approach to youth development... I always struggle to decide whether to loan a player out or keep in my u21 team, do you have any loose things you abide by when making this decision?

[Deisler26]

How are the loans going?

[_Ben_]

On 17/09/2024 at 18:47, Catley06 said:

Long long long time lurker - just wanted to say love all the posts you've made, rejuvenated my interest in not only FM, but Football as a whole!

Looking forward to your next season ahead - one question regarding your approach to youth development... I always struggle to decide whether to loan a player out or keep in my u21 team, do you have any loose things you abide by when making this decision?

Thank you for taking time to comment! I really appreciate that you've followed my stories and it has brought you enjoyment!

There is no real hard and fast rule, if I'm honest. I'm tied a little more with that silly bug that means the U20 league hasn't even reset since 2026, so I tend to look at 18+, really. However, the below screen has been really useful:

I always took 'first team' as my own first team but I really don't think it is - Chester isn't ready for Serie A! Once they are on here and of the right age - I can't loan 16 year olds out - they'll get their move and my goal is minutes and top quality performances > facilities once they get to that age. I don't have the data that backs that up but I'd rather give them thirty games at a lower level, maybe even lower than they are able to perform at, if it means they get their professional careers off to a good start: look at Mirabelli, for example:

He'd not score like that in Serie B but he's still just eighteen so has ages to get to that level and, hopefully, will do so with bags of confidence.

- - -

But, also - I want to ensure I don't loan too many out as we are building some strong facilities and coaching staff there and I know it will be of benefit. Plus, if we have three or four kids left, they'll be filling in all over the place and the U18 team will be losing - which, surely, must not be conducive to good development!

[_Ben_]

9 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

How are the loans going?

Barely had time to play this week but decent for my overseas lads, who started their season a bit earlier:

Santa Clara lost 3-0 to Benfica so that's not a bad rating! Early suggestions are that he might be quite a defensive minded wing back but he's getting that exposure, which is good.

I didn't think he'd actually play this often! He's not registered for the UECL squad, which is fine as long as he get's league minutes and he has. Rudes were poor against Hadjuk but he's opened his account and I hope he'll continue to impress. I really would like to see a combination of goals and assists so I am pleased to see that he's being used as a DLF in his strike pairing, which, more so than in my tactic, will be a benefit as he has someone to work off and feed.

[adam_otbfm]

7 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I always took 'first team' as my own first team but I really don't think it is - Chester isn't ready for Serie A!

I've genuinely never given this a second thought, but now that you've said it out loud, it makes so much sense! 

[Hootieleece]

Wow, I can't believe the depth of your loan system. 4 steps to make it back to the first team for promising youngsters.

[_Ben_]

12 hours ago, adam_otbfm said:

I've genuinely never given this a second thought, but now that you've said it out loud, it makes so much sense! 

I know! Even though it says 'Move to Messina squad' - I still think it just means ready for first team football rather than age group football and that doesn't necessarily mean at this level. Took me ages to feel secure in my judgement of that though.

10 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Wow, I can't believe the depth of your loan system. 4 steps to make it back to the first team for promising youngsters.

They won't necessarily go through all four and some won't even make it past the first or second tier of them but I'm really trying to focus on a way to get high quality minutes for each of my young players, especially as my board-driven aim is to now produce either a conveyor belt of academy talent, moving on to other clubs or a steady stream of Messina lads within my own first team. It's always been the most exciting element of game play for me so, despite all my tactical work - mainly for me to get a better understanding - I'm happy to come home - as it were - both to Italy and youth development.

[Deisler26]

17 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I'm happy to come home - as it were - both to Italy and youth development.

I'll be interested to see what FM25 holds for youth development, as I won't be buying it on release as things stand

[_Ben_]

Season Nine: Pleasing start

As the transfer window closed and our transfer business was rounded up, I was reminded that both our wage expenditure and commercial income sit way behind the teams that we have, on the pitch, being battling with. Over the next two or three years, we'll - hopefully - reduce this deficit but that will come at a cost to the finances and I need to ensure, that, short term, we have this surplus of sellable talent: another reason for the increased motivation to create a pathway to our/a first team.

Our Europa League fixtures were also announced as we kicked off our second season in Serie A:

And we've done pretty well! 

Just the one defeat to table toppers Milan and some strong performances in a big run of fixtures: Roma, Milan, Lazio, Inter and Juventus in the space of six games. In our bigger games, I've utilised a more counter-attacking style, increasing the tempo and passing directness but also stopping some of our counter pressing, which has worked quite nicely. However, the little in-game tweaks I have made to supplement our normal style have been the most interesting, for me, and I've written about three - below:

1. I noticed that all of the play was going between Pescara's right back - an IWB - and their defensive midfielder, in a single pivot. I used the AM - Zapelli - to tight mark him, despite the fact it would pull him out of position, asking the VOL - Pisilli - to move up and mark their pivot. A change from a DLP to a DM in the other central mid role allowed for this extra offensiveness. What it meant was that their wing back would no longer sit centrally in their early build up, which was allowing him loads of the ball. Once the ball had then made it to their pivot - through a different route - we were able to jump on this with two men and win the ball back. Our goal came from this move but it was a success three or four times for the near-hour before Patrick Vieira was able to change to a different approach.

2. Roma play with a diamond so the SS(A) moved to IF(A) in order to create offensive overloads with my wing backs and move themselves out of the congested centre. It also meant that Bellino, the VOL, was able to move into so much more space and often occupied the 10 role, laying on an assist and, probably, should have scored, too.

3. Against more passive presses, like Boavista's, I was able to move the WCB(d) to a L(S) to create a 2v1 in really early transition but also allow another man in a more offensive build up, giving us more ball playing opportunities progressively and more men in and around zone 14 when the time came.

With these little changes and nuances in-game, we've secured a nice top half position in the early table:

We're a little off last season - but so are Fiorentina, top last year but now in 11th - whereas the likes of Milan and Inter have really sorted themselves out. What I am most happy about is that we've got through a really tough spell of fixtures and none of the next five in the league are against top half clubs, which gives me hope for - at least - ten points or so from this next run.

Forza Biancoscudati!