lfds89

Yet... OCTOBER UPDATE MATCHES A good month, with 7 points out of 9. We stand in 6th in the league. It's way above the mid-table objective. We are now above 50% of our points objective (24 of 47) and at 50% in goals scored (20 of 40 goals scored) and 42% in goals conceded (14 of 33). We achieved this in 38% of the matches, so one month in hand. Dif to Objective Points GF GA GD First 6 Matches 0,78 0,49 0,30 0,79 Second 6 Matches -0,05 0,16 -0,53 -0,37 We weren't as good in the second 6 matches (the last game of this month is not included in this set), but we are still above expectations and more importantly, above the objectives set. vs Gladbach (H) Low xG shows it wasn't a great game, Also an assist from our GK Linde. It looks like a Sunday league goal, but Topp was very opportunistic. vs HSV (A) We conceded 3 goals from 0.74 xG, so I can't be happy. And with 2 more disallowed goals on their side. We had a lot of trouble with their crosses (every goal came from a cross). It was my mistake when setting up the tactic. I set the press on their midfielders, but forgot to set the instructions to trap inside and their wingers and wing-backs were destroying us physically and then got their crosses at will. vs Union (H) The score looks better than the performance. We also had some trouble controlling the opposition in this game. We started with our standard 4-3-3 with 2 wingers in the AM strata. These were the first-half statistics. We allowed them 10 shots! Mind you they are 18th in the league. That was simply terrible. I dropped the wingers to the midfield strata and set Ouédraogo to BWM alongside Krauss and Zalazar as DM in a RPM role. Topp was also changed to DLF instead of Poacher. Regarding the team, I asked to play wider, play out of defence and slow pace down in transition. This was how we finished the match: And the second half statistics: More possession, fewer shots conceded, dropped their passes completed ratio to 74% (from 90) and went from -37 in final third passes difference to +13. We didn't create much as well (truth be told) but I prefer it this way. NEXT MATCHES 2nd, 3rd, 17th and 5th. That's a tough way to end the year. Winning the game against Darmstadt is crucial. Let's hope we get some points against the others. DYNAMICS With good results came a totally different team dynamic. Everybody is happier even with half the squad being new here.

WOW! He might grow into having just one attribute under 10 and that is long throws.

A bit off-topic but I wonder where SI gets the idea for the newgen prototypes. 17 technique, also poor in everything else technical-related. Besides that, he's quite tall and might still grow a bit, he's fast, and he's both-footed. He'll always be valuable in any squad. Might be interesting as a wing-back or some sort of wide player as well as an anchor.

OCTOBER UPDATE FINANCES This time, let's start with finances: We are 5M in the red. This time last season? 26M in the red. It's quite an improvement. We need to keep this going for a few seasons since we still have a lot of debt to clear: MATCHES Not good. I expected much better against Augsburg mainly. But we are still on course for our season objectives. vs Bayern (A) Adding insult to injury, we added 2 more injuries in Tomás and Pieringer and a bunch of yellows. With Topp, Tomás and Pieringer injured, that's our 3 first options as ST are out. vs Mainz (H) I wasn't paying attention in the first half and we probably didn't win because of that. Also, 2 disallowed goals, one would have been our prospect Dörr's first competitive goal. vs Augsburg (A) It was a game where we couldn't create decent chances. Even with those problems, we still managed to score one and have another goal disallowed. vs Bochum (H) - Cup With Topp back in full fitness, the match was made easy. Let's see who we get in the next round. NEXT MATCHES 2 home games and against 13th, 11th and 15th, we should pick up some points.

I like your transfers: 2 great passers and a very physical player. Zimmermann adds a lot of danger from set-pieces as well. It might be key to getting more goals from those plays. I'm curious about Fiorentina, is it luck?

AUGUST and SEPTEMBER UPDATE Couldn't wish for a better start. Dif to Objective Points GF GA GD First 6 Matches 0,78 0,49 -0,30 0,79 I've separated my league fixtures in groups of 6 matches, so this isn't counting with the match against Frankfurt. But we are almost 1 point per game above our objective; over half a goal per game; under one goal conceded every 3 matches and with a positive difference of 0.79 in goal difference. This is unexpected, to say the least. vs BAUTZEN - National Cup I won't bother you with details. We played the second string against a semi-professional team and we are through to the next round where we'll face Bochum (Bundesliga 2) vs FREIBURG (A) Our luckiest game. They had 3 disallowed goals! Gulliksen and Topp showed some glimpses of a good partnership on the way. vs LEIPZIG (H) 2 missed penalties, one for each side. We deserved the win. Tomás debuted on the scoresheet. vs WERDER (A) It was an uneventful game from both sides. They played an "anti-football" 5-3-2. I hate playing against this formation. They have a hard time creating chances and they prevent us from creating as well with numbers near their goal. vs HOFFENHEIM (H) At the time it was 1st against 2nd in the league. This time Topp scored the penalty, and one more goal from a set-piece following Jenz against Leipzig. And our last goal was a long-distance run by Ouédraogo. vs HERTHA (A) Our worst game so far. We just didn't play. Can't find a reason, it was just one of those games where nothing goes our way. The sending-off didn't help us. vs KÖLN (H) This is probably the game with the most evidence of a tactical change making an impact. We usually play narrow, but since Köln was playing a 4-4-2 Diamond I asked the team to play wide and you can see on the second goal Krauss playing the ball from one side of the goal area to the other for Tomás to finish. One more goal from a set-piece this time by Gimber and another one for Topp after Aydin won the ball near their box. vs FRANKFURT (H) A pretty eventful first-half and an opposite second half. Larsson scored; Topp left injured; it doesn't show but Larsson was injured in the 36th minute; Gimber was sent off, being our second red card in 3 games (I'm a bit concerned); Tomás had a goal disallowed. We remained in control in the second half and took the win. A nice one-man job: won the ball, dribbled past one; shot. NEXT MATCHES Don't expect much from Bayern, but let's see what we can do against Mainz who are overperforming expectations and Augsburg.

Still about the CHANGES FROM LAST SEASON: SK RB CB LB DM CM CAM RW LW ST Alexander Schwolow Sepp van den Berg Moritz Jenz Thomas Ouwejan Alex Král Rodrigo Zalazar Michaël Frey Sôichirô Kôzuki Amine Adli Sebastian Polter Michael Langer Cédric Brunner Leo Greiml Jere Uronen Tom Krauß Mousa Dembélé Assan Ouédraogo Tim Skarke Marius Bülter Keke Topp Luca Podlech Taylan Bulut Éder Balanta Niklas Tauer Kenan Karaman Dominick Drexler Tobias Mohr Simon Terodde Maya Yoshida Marcin Kamiński Nedzhib Hadzha This was my squad and in red is every player that left. 20 out of 31 are gone—massive change. Successfully promoted Ouédraogo and Topp, Let's see if Bulut and Becker can make it this season, Hadzha and Dörr are also close. There's a lot of competition from homegrown talent. EXPIRING CONTRACTS Name Best Pos Personality Age Agreed Playing Time Monthly Expenses Transfer Value Best Position BPR Pot BPR Pros Cons Can Bozdogan M (C) Balanced 22 Squad Player 51 100,00 € 5 800 000,00 € DM 63 65 Aer Aleksandar Özgen DM Determined 16 Youngster 275,00 € 4 700 000,00 € FB 50 63 Att Tec Henning Matriciani D (R) Professional 23 Squad Player 37 000,00 € 1 500 000,00 € CB 62 62 Men Marvin Pieringer ST (C) Fairly Determined 23 Squad Player 47 900,00 € 1 400 000,00 € ST 63 63 Aer Def Amin Alloush D (R) Fairly Professional 16 Youngster 275,00 € 950 000,00 € CM 49 61 Def Att Aer Dries Wouters DM Spirited 26 Out On Loan 33 200,00 € 900 000,00 € CB 61 61 Aer Blendi Idrizi M (L) Balanced 25 Out On Loan 55 900,00 € 400 000,00 € DM 60 60 Aer Zaid Amoussou-Tchibara ST (C) Balanced 17 Future Prospect 10 900,00 € 375 000,00 € ST 58 69 Def Men Steven van der Sloot AM (R) Balanced 21 Breakthrough Prospect 10 550,00 € 350 000,00 € WF 55 58 Aer Reinhold Ranftl M (R) Balanced 31 Out On Loan 81 700,00 € 250 000,00 € DM 58 58 Tristan Osmani AM (R) Balanced 18 Breakthrough Prospect 8 550,00 € 230 000,00 € WF 54 63 Def Aer Yannick Tonye AM (R) Balanced 18 Future Prospect 5 300,00 € 160 000,00 € ST 49 58 Def Att Bleron Krasniqi AM (C) Balanced 21 Youngster 5 200,00 € 130 000,00 € ST 58 62 Def Nicholas Engels D (C) Fairly Determined 19 Youngster 9 600,00 € 120 000,00 € CB 54 61 Att Tec Moritz Flotho ST (C) Balanced 21 Out On Loan 7 950,00 € 65 000,00 € ST 59 62 Aer Def Bozdogan is not a massive part of the squad, but he's decent. His Monthly Expenses (ME) are low so I might offer him a new contract. Özgen and Alloush already have new contracts, but it's only in effect when they turn 17. Matriciani and Pieringer are in the first-team but aren't that good and although they are on low wages, I'm inclined to let them go. I'll make my decision by December. Wouters and Idrizi are on loan with mandatory fees. Ranftl is also on loan but couldn't find a team that would take him on a mandatory fee. Still has an optional. If they don't take it, he'll be released. Tchibara just signed for us and doesn't want to sign a new contract yet, but I'll keep him. Just wait another month or so until I make an offer. The rest are players with low potential. Some might stay to be part of the II squad, but guys over 21, or if they demand high wages, will leave. The next update will be about the August and September games. I have played 5 of them, still 3 to go.

It's probably risky to count on Europe when we are still far from being a top team. Let's see how this season goes. I'm counting more on selling one or two players along with some decent performances in the league. I don't expect to reach Europe this year, but with our evolution, maybe next year we can get there through the league.

Season 02 - 2023/2024 TRANSFERS and SQUAD It took a lot of time and wheeling and dealing... Transfers In TRANSFERS In In Fee Value Now (lower end) Gulliksen 4 500 000,00 € 11 500 000,00 € Jenz 4 000 000,00 € 4 700 000,00 € Krauss 3 000 000,00 € 14 000 000,00 € Tiago Tomás 2 200 000,00 € 16 000 000,00 € Essanoussi 1 100 000,00 € 8 200 000,00 € Skarke 1 000 000,00 € 1 300 000,00 € Benkovic 850 000,00 € 550 000,00 € Saïd 300 000,00 € 600 000,00 € Gimber 0,00 € 2 300 000,00 € Vutsov 0,00 € 4 400 000,00 € Fee values presented include future clauses. This sums to nearly 17M spent and an overall player value of 64M. Transfers Out TRANSFERS Out Out Fee Harit 5 000 000,00 € Brunner 2 500 000,00 € Kôzuki 1 700 000,00 € Bülter 1 500 000,00 € Mohr 900 000,00 € Karaman 525 000,00 € Terodde 0,00 € Kaminski 0,00 € Drexler 0,00 € This sum to 12M. So we have a direct transfer deficit of around 5M. RETURNING FROM LOAN In In Fee Value Now (lower end) Flick 0,00 € 2 100 000,00 € Aydin 0,00 € 1 700 000,00 € Larsson 0,00 € 1 400 000,00 € Çalhanoglu 0,00 € 1 100 000,00 € Matriciani 0,00 € 800 000,00 € Pieringer 0,00 € 750 000,00 € We added some players who had been out on loan. PROMOTIONS In In Fee Value Now (lower end) Bulut 0,00 € 9 800 000,00 € Becker 0,00 € 100 000,00 € Promoted another 2 so they can be close to the first team. Although they can play in both squads. PROSPECTS In In Fee Value Now (lower end) N'Diaye 200 000,00 € 750 000,00 € Ndiaye 0,00 € 475 000,00 € Amoussou-Tchibara 0,00 € 35 000,00 € We had 2 transfers already arranged (bottom 2) and there was a decent scout for a cheap LB so I took the chance. Worst case scenario, it's usually easy to sell an LB. LOAN TO SELL Out Out Fee Polter 445 000,00 € Wouters 330 000,00 € Idrizi 134 500,00 € These players are loaned out with mandatory fees involved. Fees will be higher, for instance, I know Polter is around 800k, but I can't find the installments, not even on the clauses screen. Speaking of Polter, he kept being unhappy about everything and his training was always the poorest of all the squad, so I couldn't keep him around. And lastly, the guys who were here just on a simple loan. ENDED LOANS Out Out Fee van den Berg 0,00 € Frei 0,00 € Tauer 0,00 € Tiago Silva 0,00 € Adli 0,00 € Roerslev 0,00 € Kral 0,00 € Neto 0,00 € In summary: In Fee Value Now (lower end) Out Fee Dif 17 150 000,00 € 82 560 000,00 € 13 034 500,00 € -4 115 500 € We added a lot of value to the team. The 4M deficit isn't real as we reduced the wage by something like 300k/month (3.5M/year) since the end of last season and we got some money from clauses we had (Kabak, Malick Thiaw and Weston McKennie) - around 1M and we will receive more than what I have on the table for the loans with mandatory fees. Almost had Szoboszlai or Casadei on loan on deadline day, but I felt it could break my wage budget so I didn't take the deal. I hope I don't regret this in the future. Right now, we must make this club viable, so I'm happy that this decision contribute to this: Our final squad. The first and second options are with the first team, third option is on the second or youth squads or on loan (except for Saïd - he's not exactly a third option, he's the second option in 3 spots). STAFF We were allowed to add 2 more scouts so we took the chance to improve the team. One of the scouts we had was transferred to another role. Our sports scientist was promoted to Head of Sports Science so we filled the vacancy. A new physio, a new analyst (as we are still only allowed 3), and a loan manager. I don't see much use to a loan manager, but the vacancy was there, so might as well use it. It's one more person to help with knowledge. FORMATIONS and LINE-UPS The running of the season might lead us in a different direction, but as a starting position, we will have three formations we can make from a single starting line-up. These formations were decided based on the formations we face the most and some key principles: one more CB than their ST, 1vs1 through the field except our ST vs their CB. Since we are mostly facing 4-2-3-1 (we will use 4-3-3), some 2 striker formations, mainly 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 (we will play in 5-2-3) and 4-3-3 (we play in 4-2-3-1 either with wingers in midfield or as attacking midfielders depending on the opposition). This accounts for roughly 70% of the formations we faced. It's a 4-4-1 and an extra player where it's needed: extra CB, extra DM, extra CAM, or extra ST. Flick's ability to play both DM and CB; Krauss's ability to play both CM and CM; Ouédraogo's ability to play CM, CAM, and RW; and Gulliksen playing LW, CM, and CAM allows us to change without choosing different players. We can also change it to a 4-4-2 with Tomás playing upfront and Ouédraogo on the wing, for instance. Don't pay much attention to the roles as they will most likely change (I've been running FB-A/CWB-A + IF-S and a balancing midfield). Similarly we can do the same thing with the subs: Bulut can play RB, DM and CM; Matriciani is RB and CB; Gimber is DM and CB; Bozdogan is CM and DM; Zalazar is DM/CM/CAM. Even upfront, Saïd and Larsson can play in all three positions, and Skarke can play in both wings. This is the last one but with Gimber in the midfield instead of Bulut and Matriciani moving to RCB. PLAYING STYLE I will have some instructions kept through all the formations as a basis for the way we want to play: IN POSSESSION: Narrow Width; Wait for Underlaps; Shorter Passing; Run at Defence. IN TRANSITION: Distribute to CB/FB; Counter-Press. OUT OF POSSESSION: Mid Block; Press More Often; Drop Off More; Trap Inside; Invite Crosses. Some other instructions we will play with depending on the opposition and the selected formation: Pass Into Space - when we have pace superiority or we are playing a pacey striker (not Topp or Pieringer). Play out of Defence - When we play 5 at the back Distribute to Flanks - When playing against very narrow formations (e.g. 5-2-1-2) Counter - I believe in most cases we will play like this but it's not definitive in our playing style (maybe because Topp is our striker and he doesn't help much on counters) Hold Shape - mostly when we play 5 at the back Slow Pace Down - also when we play 5 at the back Trap Outside - when facing a diamond formation OBJECTIVES The board objective was already discussed, they are aiming for mid-table, whatever it might be. We need to do as well or better. So I have some more specific goals to reach: Objective Points GS GA GD Total 47 40 33 7 Per Game 1,38 1,18 0,97 0,21 Same GA as last year, 8 more goals scored, it amounts to a +7 goal difference and should lead us to 47 points which is the amount of points Leverkusen had last season (they finished 9th; 37 GS; 38 GA; -1 GD). And to put into perspective, our different phases last season: GD SD STD xgD CRD xg/ShD Pts First 9 games -0,44 -1,78 -1,67 -0,29 -0,01 0,01 0,89 Next 6 games 1,17 3,67 2,00 0,76 0,08 0,05 2,00 After winter break -0,67 0,50 0,33 0,08 -0,08 0,01 0,33 Final Push 0,44 4,22 0,33 0,30 0,03 0,00 1,67 End of Season -1,00 -13,00 -5,75 -1,34 -0,05 -0,01 0,25 GD - Goal Difference; SD - Shots Difference; STD - Shots on Target Difference; CRD - Conversion Rate Difference And in graphic: We started on the wrong foot; I made big adjustments to the way I was playing; then we had a slump after the winter break; and the final push was strong. I didn't include in the graphic the end of the season because we weren't trying to be competitive in that phase. The cup isn't very important. We'll do our best as the schedule won't be that packed, but I have no goals here. Although it's tempting to try something: But it's difficult to rival Leipzig, Bayern and Dortmund.

It's a shame you lost Maxime, but it's part of the journey. You have dealt quite well in the market and the squad seems decent enough to avoid relegation bar injuries to some key players. [knocks on wood]

I agree, should be around that. I didn't have much time to play on the last few days, but pretty sure between tomorrow and the weekend there will be an update.

This was the state of the club when I got here. In comparison: Season Year Players Under Contract Loan Out Loan In U19 O30 19-30 Squad Value 01 2022/2023 95 10 9 43 12 40 149M 02 2023/2024 76 10 0 36 3 37 291M The transfer window isn't over but I don't expect many changes. No loans taking over and developing players for other teams; increased value; reduced players declining; drastic decrease in players under contract. If this club wants to be viable in the long term, this is the change we need. Should be noted that a substantial part of the increase in squad value comes from Ouédraogo. He represents almost 20% of our value and 3 times more than second and third. Keke will probably increase his value as soon as I can get him on a new contract (which will get him out of a very low release clause of 3,4M). I'm still in the middle of the transfer window, there'll be an update soon.

Congratulations on a great season! Do you feel this could be a problem when the stakes are higher?

I don't think it's about points, I think it's place only. I was 14 points away from the playoff spot, 16 from automatic relegation. It should be clear enough. I'm guessing 13th+ (as you said) or even 12th+ is the board's target.

Forgot to post the Seasonal Evolution: Improved Name Best Pos Personality Age Best Rating BPR Variation BPR Variation Niklas Barthel D (C) Light-Hearted 18 59 2,5 4,2% Niklas Dörr ST (C) Fairly Determined 17 60 3,6 6,0% Edion Gashi AM (L) Balanced 17 54 2,1 3,9% Emmanuel Gyamfi AM (L) Balanced 18 55 2,8 5,1% Mattes Hansen M (C) Balanced 19 57 4,5 7,9% Til Heitzmann D (C) Balanced 17 56 3,5 6,3% Alex Král DM Fairly Determined 25 67 1,8 2,7% Mateusz Lipp D (C) Balanced 19 54 2,0 3,7% Assan Ouédraogo M (R) Resolute 17 62 4,3 7,0% Meik Pusch D (L) Balanced 15 45 2,8 6,4% Luis Rödel GK Balanced 19 50 4,4 8,9% Sidi Sané AM (L) Fairly Sporting 20 63 2,3 3,6% Taylan Bulut D (R) Resolute 17 60 3,2 5,4% Keke Topp ST (C) Balanced 19 63 3,6 5,6% Sepp van den Berg D (C) Fairly Professional 21 65 1,9 2,9% Steven van der Sloot AM (R) Balanced 20 54 3,0 5,5% Zaid Amoussou-Tchibara ST (C) Balanced 17 59 3,3 5,5% Ouédraogo, Král, Topp, and van den Berg were first-team players, however Král and van den Berg were just here on loan. Sidi Sané, Hansen, Heitzmann, Dörr and Bulut are next in line to have a chance in the first team. Declined Name Best Pos Personality Age Best Rating BPR Variation BPR Variation Tim Albutat DM Fairly Professional 30 57 -0,3 -0,5% Grace Bokake AM (L) Balanced 21 53 -2,7 -5,0% Dominick Drexler AM (C) Balanced 33 62 -2,2 -3,5% Amine Harit AM (L) Balanced 25 67 -1,0 -1,5% Blendi Idrizi M (L) Balanced 25 60 -2,3 -3,8% Marcin Kamiński D (C) Fairly Sporting 31 61 -1,6 -2,6% Michael Langer GK Fairly Professional 38 58 -1,8 -3,1% Pedro Neto AM (R) Resolute 23 65 -0,2 -0,3% Tristan Osmani AM (R) Balanced 18 54 -0,1 -0,1% Reinhold Ranftl M (R) Balanced 31 59 -0,7 -1,3% Tiago Silva M (C) Fairly Professional 29 64 -0,3 -0,5% Niklas Tauer DM Fairly Determined 22 63 -0,1 -0,2% Simon Terodde ST (C) Resolute 35 63 -2,1 -3,4% Yannick Tonye AM (R) Balanced 18 50 -1,2 -2,3% Rodrigo Zalazar M (C) Fairly Determined 23 63 -2,9 -4,6% Albutat, Drexler, Harit, Kaminski, Langer and Terodde have already left the club. Neto and Silva were on loan. Expect to sell Idrizi and Raftl. Zalazar was the biggest disappointment. I'm not sure he'll stay.

END-OF-SEASON UPDATE Seems to be safe now! Season Year Club League Position Cup Stage CC Stage League PPG League Win % League GF League GA 01 2022/2023 Schalke 04 GER1 14th Pokal 1stR DNP DNP 1,12 26% 32 33 Season Year Most Minutes Most Goals Most Assists Most Clean Sheets Highest AvR Most POM 01 2022/2023 Moritz Jenz – 3035 Keke Topp – 9 Assan Ouédraogo – 4 Andreas Linde – 6 Assan Ouédraogo – 7,01 Tim Skarke – 3 Season Year Avg Attendance Start Balance + Loan End Balance + Loan Start Wage End Wage Squad BPR 01 2022/2023 59724 -301 158 912,00 € -294 034 279,00 € 3 225 503,00 € 2 549 907,00 € 1 394 Overall, finances haven't improved much, but I don't think I'll buy many more players and I can still offload some. Wages will be even lower next season so that should help as well. Also, these numbers are pre-sponsorship deals so a few days forward and balance is in the positive (here balance was -20M, now it's +5M). FC SCHALKE 04 2022/2023 PLAYERS Goals Assists Minutes Keke Topp 9 Assan Ouédraogo 4 Moritz Jenz 3 035 Sebastian Polter 6 Tim Skarke 3 Thomas Ouwejan 2 208 Tim Skarke 5 Alex Král 3 Tom Krauß 2 061 Michaël Frey 4 Amine Adli 2 Sepp van den Berg 2 022 Assan Ouédraogo 3 Rodrigo Zalazar 2 Alexander Schwolow 1 890 Progressive Passes /90 Key Passes /90 Headers Won /90 Alex Král 6,3 Thomas Ouwejan 3,3 Moritz Jenz 6,7 Thomas Ouwejan 6,0 Rodrigo Zalazar 1,9 Sebastian Polter 5,6 Tom Krauß 5,7 Tim Skarke 1,8 Simon Terodde 5,2 Niklas Tauer 5,3 Tobias Mohr 1,5 Leo Greiml 5,0 Tobias Mohr 5,3 Assan Ouédraogo 1,4 Sepp van den Berg 4,9 Possession Won /90 Dribbles /90 Average Rating Moritz Jenz 17,3 Tobias Mohr 3,8 Assan Ouédraogo 7,0 Leo Greiml 15,5 Tim Skarke 3,5 Keke Topp 7,0 Cédric Brunner 15,0 Sôichirô Kôzuki 3,3 Tim Skarke 6,9 Sepp van den Berg 14,9 Amine Adli 2,9 Tom Krauß 6,9 Niklas Tauer 13,1 Mads Roerslev 2,8 Andreas Linde 6,9 TEAM Most Used Formation Formations Faced Best Results 4-4-1-1 2DM 37% 4-2-3-1 Wide 25% Freiburg (H) 4-1 W 4-4-2 17% 4-3-3 DM Wide 18% Stuttgart (H) 3-0 W 4-1-4-1 DM 13% 4-4-2 15% Union Berlin (H) 3-0 W 5-2-3 DM Wide 9% 5-3-2 DM WB 12% Bayern (H) 3-0 W 5-2-1-2 DM AM 5% 5-2-2-1 DM AM 11% 5 games 1-0 W Highest xG Highest xG/Shot Less Shots Conceded Freiburg (H) 2,21 Dortmund (A) 0,19 Hertha (A) 4 Bochum (H) 2,07 Freiburg (H) 0,18 Gladbach (H) 5 Bayern (H) 2,00 Leipzig (H) 0,16 Bochum (H) 5 Freiburg (A) 1,97 4 games 0,15 Stuttgart (H) 5 Dortmund (A) 1,94 2 games 6 More Shots Highest Conversion Less xG Conceded Bochum (H) 24 Freiburg (H) 33% Augsburg (A) 0,08 Stuttgart (H) 18 Union Berlin (H) 30% Stuttgart (H) 0,16 Hertha (H) 18 Stuttgart (A) 25% Hertha (A) 0,18 Bayer (H) 16 Bayern (H) 23% Hoffenheim (H) 0,25 4 games 15 Stuttgart (H) 17% Union Berlin (H) 0,26 MOST USED ELEVEN Alexander Schwolow, 1890 min Sepp van den Berg, 2022 min Leo Greiml, 1683 min Moritz Jenz, 3035 min Thomas Ouwejan, 2208 min Alex Král, 1616 min Tom Krauss, 2061 min Sôichirô Kôzuki, 1670 min Tim Skarke, 1575 min Rodrigo Zalazar, 1556 min Sebastian Polter, 1580 min TRANSFERS A different profile from Keke Topp, will complement him. I'm not sure about Polter's continuity with us. He was very harsh about the objectives not being met. I'm dealing with 2 prospects: one is a GK ending his contract. I don't know if he'll be useful, but there's a gap between Linde and all the others, especially the youngsters, he can fill so I might take him on a low wage; the other one is a CM/LW, left-footed. He's almost as good as Zalazar, low fee, low wages - seems like a good deal even if I don't need him as much. If I find a starter RB I'll go for it. I'll lose van den Berg and Roerslev; Brunner doesn't have the quality to be a starter; Bulut and Aydin are still not there yet; Matriciani is not great either as CB or RB. This leaves me with a weakness and we can't have such weaknesses in the coming season. The objective set by the board is mid-table so we can't take risks. Once again, I would love to know what mid-table is. On the way out, besides a bunch of players ending their contract, we still have some loanees returning I don't plan to keep: Larsson (valued 1-2M); Matriciani (1-2M) might stay over Brunner (1-2M) due to wages, but it's also possible both leave; Pieringer (1-3M) is the same profile as Keke Topp and Polter (1-2M) so I won't keep all 3; Bozdogan (2-6M) is similar to Zalazar (2-4M), so one leaves (since I have Gulliksen and Ouédraogo who can also play there); Idrizi (750k-2M) doesn't have the quality to stay. There are some more players around 1M that might leave but pre-season will be the definitive test. That should be around 6M+ in and some wages available. I also got 1M from a clause on Weston McKennie. The clause was being valued at 600k throughout the season but I was waiting for it to be increases and when it got to 1M I decided to sell it as I don't think it would be worth much more in the future.

I probably wouldn't have made many more points if I were to play my first team. In this sequence, in the first round, we had 4 points, 3 of which were in the game against Bayern when they were tired. Maybe we could do better against Mainz, but getting a point from Leipzig or Bayern at this point is more a case of a lucky strike mixed with a perfect plan than just an objective. I just wish these objectives had a clearer explanation, like "finish above 14th/12th,..."

MAY UPDATE FINANCES Lowest wages to turnover, that's the path we need to take. There's only 2 teams below us on salary. MATCHES It was quite bad, but we still managed to only concede 1 goal per game. I gave some players some minutes, and I was happy to let them play. I won't show details for these matches as I didn't have much interest in them. Bayern beat Leipzig 6-0 in gameweek 33 and then they lost to Köln and Leipzig won against us and they are crowned champions. BOARD EXPECTATIONS Supposedly we weren't out of the relegation battle, even if we were out of it with 4 matches to go... I hope they don't sack me or this story ends sooner than expected... We don't have much to work with for next season... The wage budget is inflated so we can grab some money from that budget, but it'll only allow us to spend maybe 4M before we reduce wages. INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Ouédraogo had no competition. I'm guessing there were no more players to choose from and Bulut got the 3rd place. Keke got 2nd place behind Damar who played for over-achievers Hoffenheim. I played a few more days to see if there were any news regarding my position and there seems to be no intention of the board sacking me. I've also checked the Job Security panel and Status is stable, so there's nothing in here to make me think I won't continue this project.

I'm counting on it. Jenz, Benkovic and Hadzha should be in my long-term project.

APRIL UPDATE MATCHES vs Bayer (H) - 2-2 D Two goals from our academy players Ouédraogo and Topp, but we eventually succumbed to Bayer. Fair result. vs Hoffenheim (A) - 1-0 W It was a balanced match, we ended up having the bigger chance and scoring. vs Hertha (H) - 0-0 D A boring match, but it was decisive that I made a mistake somewhere when setting up the tactic. I had my LW man-mark their LB (so he would cross the pitch); and my RW man-mark one of their CMs. Don't know how this happened, but it was very balanced until I noticed it, and after that we dominated, but couldn't score. vs Freiburg (A) - 2-3 L The most entertaining match of the season. Loved seeing it, too bad we didn't get any points from this one. vs Werder (H) - 1-0 W This result confirmed the objective for the league was achieved. We were slightly better than them but we let them have good chances so it could have gone either way. LEAGUE TABLE We stay in the first tier! NEXT MATCHES Mainz, Away, 8th Bayern, Away, 1st Frankfurt, Home, 4th Leipzig, Away. 2nd Imagine if I had to fight relegation with this schedule! Glad it's done. I'll give some playing time to some youngsters and some players who didn't have many opportunities during the rest of the season. TRANSFERS Just when I secured the non-relegation, I got 2 notifications: Both of them had clauses that they would sign if we avoided relegation. I never knew this existed... I just won 2 starters (their values were already off the budget so this doesn't change anything). And it's a 21 and a 23-year-old so it's great to add them. I went through all the clauses to see if I had any more surprises coming. Luckily, there are just some optional fees. I took Skarke for 1M. He was one of our best players throughout the season so it only made sense, even if I don't see him as part of the long-term project but we need players to help know. Wages are a bit high when comparing to the rest of the team, but it's a good deal overall. Before I knew all this, I had found a new CB: Benkovic from Udinese. They wanted to offload players, so I took him. Low wage, low squad status, low overall value. Great deal for us! Here's how he compares to Jenz: Better defending and aerial threat; worse on the physical side. Comparing all the CBs we have now and the ones already arranged for next season: Name Personality Age Best Position Positions BPR Pot BPR Pros Cons Moritz Jenz Resolute 24 CB CB 65 65 Aer Sepp van den Berg Fairly Professional 21 CB FB CB 65 69 Spe Aer Leo Greiml Resolute 21 CB CB 64 67 Filip Benković Fairly Determined 25 CB CB 66 66 Def Aer Att Benedikt Gimber Resolute 26 CB CB 64 64 Aer Sepp is the only one who will not continue here next season. They are all very equivalent. Expect Jenz/Benkovic to start alongside Gimber/Greiml. Jenz/Benkovic are worse technically and I need someone to help play out from the back.

TRANSFERS AND SCOUTING UPDATE TRANSFERS 2 new signings for next season: Wesley Saïd, comes in as a versatile backup. He can play CAM, Wings or Striker. He has decent pace, finishing and dribbling. There's nothing to go wrong here for 300k and on 54k/month. Comparing him to Adli is interesting as he'll most likely replace him. More technical and more of a finisher. Also, the prospect Gulliksen. This is a different kind of deal. I managed to negotiate only paying 500k upfront, which leaves us with some room to make some more transfers. He's versatile and can play CM, LM, LW, and CAM. He isn't as fast as I would want to play in the wing, so more likely he'll play in the middle. At 19 he's already similar to Zalazar, so I might let him go and get rid of his wages. Comparing them with the players I already have on my spreadsheet: CM Name Personality Age Best Position Positions BPR Pot BPR Pros Cons Schalke Rodrigo Zalazar Fairly Determined 23 DM DM CM WF 66 66 Vis Tec Aer Schalke Tiago Silva Fairly Professional 29 CM DM CM 64 64 Vis Tec Aer Schalke Tobias Gulliksen Spirited 19 DM DM CM 63 70 Tec Aer High potential, near the same ability. LW Name Personality Age Best Position Positions BPR Pot BPR Pros Cons Schalke Tim Skarke Fairly Determined 26 ST WF ST 62 62 Spe Schalke Amine Adli Fairly Ambitious 22 WF WF ST 64 66 Spe Def Schalke Wesley Saïd Fairly Sporting 27 WF WF ST 65 65 Spe Att Tec Def Aer Less speed than Skarke but overall a more interesting player. Now I want to find a starter for CB and RW. But I need to have more money available first. So set-up the scouting then decide on this. SCOUTING I wasn't happy with my scouting department so I decided to take control of it and revamp the recruitment focus section: All have limitations of age (under 28), value (under 30M), and wages (under 170k). I usually do Top and Ongoing Priority but we don't have many scouts and just 1 recruitment analyst so I changed to Standard and Ongoing. I'm searching for 2 more Rec. Analysts. Let's see what we find.

The first one I know and always keep that in mind. The second one I didn't know, but I'll save that for the future.

MARCH MATCHES It didn't start how we wanted, but 4 points in 3 matches is decent. Beating Augsburg leaves them 9 points away and they are away from the relegation places, so we have a safe margin. vs Bochum (A) - 1-2 L We started strong but then we gifted them a goal near half-time and they took charge of the game. Oddly, we have higher xG from fewer shots on target and fewer chances. vs Dortmund (H) - 0-0 D "Notable Events"... Against our rivals and one of the best teams in the league we did well. More possession, 1 CCC, and we didn't allow any from them. vs Augsburg (A) - 1-0 W 0.08xG from 6 shots is embarrassing for Augsburg. We also had 3 shots hitting the woodwork that somehow don't count for the shots on target metric. We stand in 11th with 29 points out of 25 matches (1.16 ppg). Usually, it's needed 34+ points to survive but I don't think any of the bottom 3 teams will get there. Hertha is en route to 24/25 and they have lost 4 of the last 5; Stuttgart have lost 3 and drawn 2 of the last 5 and they still have a cup game this month; Bochum is in better form with 3 wins and a draw in the last 5 but it'll be hard to keep such form in the coming matches. We should be safe now, but 35 is still the first objective and then the more the merrier. NEXT MATCHES We have 2 months to go and 2 big ones: 5 + 4 games Bayer 04, H, 13th Hoffenheim, A, 5th Hertha, H, 16th Freiburg, A, 7th Werder, H, 12th Once again, getting at least 1 ppg would be great. NXGN 2023 Ouédraogo makes the cut. Hope to get more players in the coming years.

Some of them, even if you can only get 10/20% of the wage being paid while on loan it adds up in the end.

2 seasons is probably a bit optimistic. Keke doesn't have the attributes to be a starter in the Bundesliga. And so doesn't Assan. Still, the new guys are quite far from them. I'll try to have them near the first team next season or the one after and if they can get some minutes, even better.