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I sure hope so, in a good position for now. First season I find is always a bit easier to overachieve. Although it looks comfortable this year, it most certainly at times hasn't been in certain games, and I've had to invest well I think to at least so far, do well again this year. It's helped a lot though that none of the big sides have had a consistent year, and doing well in the big games so far has been important.

Season 2 Update – Mid Oct - Dec 2024 Serie A Progress Oct / Nov Our fixtures in the league going up until the New Year weren’t too bad. November was a month of games I would hope to pick up at least 4 wins from the 5 games. Bologna I expected to be a tricky game as they have been riding high in second place for most of the first half of the season. And in this game, it was a very even contest where we took the lead but they were the better side over the course of the 90 minutes. We tried to hold out, but they put us under significant pressure the last 10 minutes and they eventually broke through in the 91st minute. They also missed a penalty in the 85th minute too, so we perhaps were lucky to get a point in this game. December We had a few potential banana skins in this month’s games, having to play Roma way, Fiorentina away and Napoli at home being the last game of the month. I had made a slight tweak to the system which I hoped would help on the offensive front, and well our form in December was flawless. Since, we won all five league games, and didn’t concede a single goal either. Perhaps our team has now gotten a better understanding, whether it is the game time together with our tweak, we were generally performing better as a team, and it gives me a lot of optimism that we can retain our title. The Napoli game was a very good team performance in all areas, and things do feel like they are beginning to finally click nicely - but guess we'll see if that holds true in due course. Following my last update, we have played 11 league games, won 10 and drawn one – and so that’s prompted our now considerable 1 points gap between us and second placed side Bologna, who do granted still have a game in hand. Coppa Italia Progress We are due to face Torino in the next round. UCL Progress We’ve had four games since we were appearing to be in mid-table of the UCL group. We were able to win 3 games and drew 1, which was a home game against Real Madrid. The wins came at home to Newcastle, Ludogorets and Real Sociedad, which was perhaps the most tricky apart from the Real Madrid game, but we did well to come away with all 3 points which I think has nicely negated the point we got against Real. We are currently in 6th with a confirmed playoff spot, but I hope we can secure a top 8 finish to avoid a knockout round game. We have games away to Benfica and at home to Celtic remaining. Best Performance There were a number of good performances, but the last game against Napoli we really made light work of. Created a good amount, and very solid at the back against a quality opponent was pleasing to see. Club News Marcos Leonardo has now arrived with us. As we have a number of U22 players in our squad, I am able to make some room for him. I need to spend time with him to try and train some traits that will be beneficial to his game, as I’ve felt whenever I’ve had him, his performance levels improves quite significantly when I have a few key traits added. So I’m currently trying to loan out Pio Esposito to another Serie-A team as an important first team player. He has time to learn traits later down the line, especially when it’s a little clearer to see where his strengths will lay eventually.

Heh, no I totally get it. My fun has often been trying to achieve success in a different way tactically, and I haven't played wingless systems in a little while. So I'd like to play a full year using the diamond. When I try to play a long-term career though, I do lose interest once that has been achieved as well. But this save is a bit different to that. I've also always been more of a league man rather than the UCL, which I know is odd But I think you need a bit more luck to win that, and I've always preferred consistency to luck. Good to know with Marcos Leonardo, I haven't had him this year why I figured I'd give him a try. I haven't really managed a big side this year yet. But yeah, I may return back to one of my older saves here at some point. But I'm not convinced I will succeed this year at the moment with this formation I have crafted, although it's a lot more fun trying than using a 4231 lol.

Season 2 Update – Mid Aug – Mid Oct 2024 Serie A Progress I’ve played quite a few games now, and gotten a decent feel as to how we have adapted, and are generally performing with the 41212 diamond. Bit of a mixed bag so far, but it has generally been a solid start. vs Lazio With a new side coming up against Lazio at their place I thought it was quite a nasty game to kick off our season. But following our UEFA Super Cup success I hoped the team could carry on that performance and confidence taken from that game. And to my surprise, we came up with a very strong solid performance. We had more possession in this game, whilst preventing them from having a single shot on target. We ourselves created two clear cut chances, and it was Isak who got us a brace giving us a 2-0 victory, one coming early in the first half with one early in the second. vs Genoa We followed our win against Lazio with a 2-1 home win vs Genoa, but this game we made really hard work of. We went down after just 7 minutes on the board after hitting us on the counter. They were then quite content to continue to play park the bus for the rest of the game, with any positive result being a good one for them. They went into the HT break 1-0 up, but just a few minutes into the second half Hernandez put us on level terms. We continued to try and push for the next goal but Genoa were defending valiantly. With 15 minutes left I used our remaining two substitutes whilst changing our mentality, and within 7 minutes wew finally broke the deadlock, with our late sub coming on Saelemaekers scored a 20 yarder into the top corner. It was harsh on Genoa as they had been solid. But that moment of brilliance ended up being the decider to give us an important 3 points. vs Inter After the International break we were due to play our rivals again and away, Inter. And we had an awful start with Thuram firing them ahead just 3 minutes in. We were really struggling to get into this game throughout the half, and they really should have doubled their lead before HT but we were able to keep it to just the single goal difference. Having some harsh words at half-time, our team seemed to come out with a bit more fire in their bellies… and in the 56th minute Isak grabbed us an equalizer nodding home from a ball crossed to the far post. After that initial rush, Inter did start to find their feet again and were the side with more control of the game, but they weren’t overly threatening, not until the last quarter anyway. Then there were some moments they were looking the more likely team to get a winner. With the game going into the last 10 or so minutes it looked like they were going to try and pinch the game….however there was a nasty surprise for them. They seemed to fall asleep from a free kick in our own half, allowing us to work the ball up the pitch and not pressing effectively, the ball eventually found Leao with time and space in the box to pick his spot to finishing coolly passed their keeper, and now had the advantage with just 9 minutes left. Then looking to close the game down, we successfully defended our own box in an assured manner which saw us hold onto a really hard earned victory. They were the side that created the one clear chance in the game, but our willingness to fight especially in the second half proved decisive for us. Not a game statistically we deserved to win, but being able to win without playing that well is a good sign, especially against Inter. vs Juventus Another tough game immediately with Juventus visiting the San Siro. And like the Inter game, it looked like we were getting off to a really rough start with a penalty being awarded to Juve. However Maignan as he has already done often, saved a Soule penalty to keep the scores tied. This proved costly to them, as just 4 minutes later Thiaw climbed high at the near post and headed passed Szcznesny in the Juve goal to give us the lead. From that point, although Juve had a lot more of the ball they weren’t taking many shots at our goal. They did however muster up one more clear chance compared to us in the game, but the goal by Thiaw proved enough with us registering a 1-0 win and Maignan getting MOTM. vs Sassuolo Finally I felt like we came up with an actual good footballing performance. Taking 21 shots with an xG of 4.10, although only hacing 46% possession, what we did with the ball was very productive. The game was as good as gone by the 32nd minute, as we had just hit our 3rd goal at that time. Hernandez, Isak and Pio Esposito got on our scoresheet. In the second half, we added another 3 more with Isak, Samardzic and Ramos grabbing a goal each to end the game with a very convincing 6-0 win. vs Torino This game came after our home win vs Porto, but with a few knocks taken a number of our players weren’t in a position to start the game, which meant a heavily changed side. Torino at the time were flying high in 4th spot, and this promised to be a very hard game given the circumstances – and they landed our first defeat on us this year. Although it statistically was a tight game, our defending especially early on was just dreadful. They scored in the 1st minute, with us responding in the 4th. They then scored another on the 8th, and grabbed their 3rd right before half-time. I was hoping for a response to try and get ourselves back in the game, but with a weaker starting team and players not really fit to impact off the bench, it saw us not show any signs of being able to make a fight of this game. Torino held on quite comfortably in the end to give them a very well earned 3-1. This defeat also caused us to lose top spot in the table. With Bologna now sitting pretty up top and Torino right behind us in 3rd. vs Atalanta This game came right after the International break, and although we needed to rest a few players I felt we had a strong enough side to ensure we achieved 3 points in a tricky game vs Atalanta. And the break may have done us some good, as this ended up as one of our more impressive team performances. Although we had 48% possession, Atalanta didn’t attempt a shot the whole 90 minutes, whereas we took 21 shots creating 3 clear chances in the process. Samardzic made the break through just before the half an hour mark, punishing poor play where Atalanta failed to play the ball out from the back and we countered quickly exposing their players out of position. We continued to have shots, but weren’t able to get that all important to close the game off, not until the 78th minute at least where finally we earnt some breathing space with Calabria firing in from just inside the 18 yard box. Then to add a bit of gloss to the scoreline, Esposito got his goal in the 86th minute after coming on with 20 minutes left of the game. So a good 3-0 win here, saw us return back to the top of the table on goal difference from Bologna. -- I would say although we’ve had some pretty good results, the Torino one was a disappointment. But if you asked me would I prefer to lose to Torino or Inter, I'd prefer a loss vs Torino. However I would also say as a football team is, we are playing quite ordinary? Perhaps I have designed it to try to grind out results and hope that individual brilliance and being able to be adaptable with our approach will see us achieve positive results. Well, we have done but I was hoping for better performances. From a footballing perspective, our best game was against Sassuolo where we created a lot of good chances. Atalanta more recently was also really impressive too. But there have been instances where I feel if I didn’t influence things off the bench, then we most certainly will have dropped a number of points and may be laying in around the 5th / 6th spots in the league. The games against Genoa, Inter, and Porto were the ones I felt my intervention was key. For now, it’s still hard to tell how well we will do this year. Can’t say I’m overly convinced with the diamond. But I’ll definitely play through the whole year with it, hoping it will prove to be successful to a good degree. Coppa Italia Progress No news yet of our first fixture due in this competition. UCL Progress vs Barcelona Barca setup in a Brazilian Box 4222 and us with our diamond. A battle of two narrow systems. And they pretty much nullified each other out in this tight affair. Very few chances in the game, with the one single clear cut chance coming our way which we couldn’t take. It ended as a 0-0 game, which I wasn’t too disappointed about overall. A decent point away from home for us. vs Porto Akthough we controlled this game and did nudge ahead in the 50th minute, they equalized through a needless penalty given away in our box from a corner. Evanilson dispatched and the game was now tied. We didn’t let that setback affect us though, continuing to play our football we again went ahead in the 72nd minute, being Ramos’ second of the game, which we held on until full-time taking an important 3 group stage points. Best Performance Very difficult to choose, performances against Atalanta and Sasssuolo from a footballing perspective, but given the magnitude of the Inter game and how early in the season it came I’ve taken this result as being our best performance so far. It was a great comeback, and a game I think I made all the calls that needed to be made to turn it around. Transfer Update With the deadline day having loomed, I decided in the end to try and make a few late deals. This was the aim of creating a squad with more Italian players and trying to make a profit on some players previously invested in. This saw Ricci join us from Torino for 40mil, Pio Esposito from Inter for 17mil and Fagioli from Juventus for 30mil. Consequently Columbo was dropped from our first team squad, recognizing he just won’t ever cut it here long term. I also sold for cash, Pobega to West Ham for 19.25mil and Varela who I only just bought last year, for 28mil. This meant after buying him originally for 14mil, we’ve made the same amount of profit on him. He ended up joining Spurs. -- So squad wise with all of the wheeling and dealing, I’m quite happy with the general balance and depth of the side. It does pose a problem though with Marcos Leonardo still due to join up with us once his loan ends end of December, as I wouldn’t be able to cater for him in our squad unless I let someone else depart. The likelihood is I have to try find him a good place to go on loan – and not Esposito, because the times he has played he has made a real positive impact and already appearing to develop.

Exactly, anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't got a clue about management on a broader scale. Yes, it won't correct a tactical flaw, and nor should it give a greater advantage in those circumstances where you may not tactically have got things right. And yes, not all managers are as vocal. But when a team is just a bit lacklustre or underperforming on a day, need some encouragement after encountering a degree of misfortune, or whatever circumstances the game brings up, rather than go to another system that may tactically work out better (assuming you have the players to do it), having the option of man managing your players on the pitch to get more out of them is integral. This especially when you have two tightly contested teams where little things can make the difference - and that's what football is, a game of miniscule things which decide tight close encounters. Do you honestly think managers such as Klopp, Conte, Mourinho would be as effective if they were just a sitting duck on the bench all game? Showing a bit of energy on the touchline should transmit / rub off on to the players, and if successful should have a positive (or negative) effect. The manager's that aren't so vocal, should then indeed be more tactically astute to influence the game positively.

Certainly hope so. Was intending to skip FM 25 anyhow, sure hope it is a priority too along with the ME and the set pieces.

Indeed, as do I If you're referring to when a highlight has just started and you have selected a shout already but at the end of that highlight, the shout no longer would be your choice due to what occurred, then you are able to cancel that instructed shout and change it so that you can have the amended shout you would now want instead immediately from that point onwards (being the end of that highlight). But I don't see a problem with not being able to try and change the course of a specific highlight that has already started, as say a goalscoring opportunity was already going to be the highlight, I'm not sure I'd want to see one of the shouts immediately prevent a chance mid that highlight. It should just have a general effect on your performance for a particular period before you have the chance to use a different shout. Maybe not all the shouts are clear cut either and SI could improve it, but that for me is what they should have tried to do, rather than at the detriment of having a lack of options to manage your team. Again, if they were actually transparent to provide a full reasoning behind the exclusion then you could understand. But off memory if I recall right they were not intending to bring this feature back at all in any future FM - which is a gamebreaker for me if so.

haha, well given me an idea. maybe could set up a few match plans for the team. start the game and go put on a "more exciting" video on in front of my screen whilst each half plays through

Feel exactly the same way with the removal of shouts. But the game has been venturing away from a realistic football management experience, to a direction more catered towards the casual gamer and a more simplified game as a whole to attract brand new players for greater sales. To me, it doesn't make any sense to remove a feature which allows the players to act like a manager on the bench does in real life, that is attempting to make a positive influence on the game by way of communicating to his team or individual players during the course of each half, to try and get your underperforming team to put in a bit more effort, to making sure your players remain focussed in certain parts of the game, berating them after a defensive howler, or to fire them up to try and score a late equaliser or winner. This should play a significant part in your ability to affect the outcome of a game, especially those matches of a very tight nature where things such as this should be able make a difference, and the removal of them is actually a gamebreaker for me. The immersion of thinking every minute matters of a game has now gone. If anything it should just be fine tuned, not removed permanently from football manager. Without them, there is now no way you can try to influence the match mid-game - apart from plugging in a broken tactic that exploits the ME (which I expect will be more impactful than subs). This will become a very important part of succeeding on the pitch, given the ability to motivate / manage the game via communication has been completely removed. It will also make the pre match and half time team talks overpowered as well, as they will be the only opportunities you have to motivate your team with no chance to try and reverse this course during the next half. But by removing shouts, it certainly will make it easier for the casual gamer to succeed for this reason .There are less elements in play to determine the outcome of a game. I just can't imagine watching a game play through without being able to hands on try to influence the game by way of communication. For that reason I really struggle to consider investing in any future FM game where I can't properly manage my team on the pitch, and most certainly won't consider investing in FM25 until such a thing can be re-implemented. I want to play football manager, not play find and play a downloaded broken tactic manager.

UEFA Super Cup Final vs Liverpool / Season 2 - 2024/25 Re-Birth of the Diamond @ Milan With the UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool my first game with the system and a trophy to potentially add to the club’s collection, here is a quick overview of what went down in our first game. Bennacer suffered a pre-season injury, but he was our only absentee for the start of my second year here. Starting debuts were handed to Diomande, Zaire-Emery and Samardzic, with only Ramos failing to make the first XI. He will be a bench player for us, but someone who I feel is good enough to do a decent job in both differing forward roles that I use in this system, which offensively plays much like Shevchencko and Crespo/Pippo did back in the day. Striker Function Our complete forward will typically move to the wider areas, in an attempt to alleviate any pressure giving a more direct outlet available, whilst also acting not just as a goal threat, but also as a provider to our Poacher who will most of the time remain central and hold his position inside the box. He’ll also open up spaces for both the BBM and AM to move into. This is very unlike how I created my Xmas Tree, where the poacher acted more like a Ronaldo Luiz, given the freedom to roam and find space to help that side keep possession of the football, which would be vacated by a Trequartista who also roamed all over the pitch trying to find positions to receive the ball. There was a great degree of intelligence needed to play the Poacher role in the Tree. To The Game Anyhow, both teams started off reasonably well but it was us that edged their noses in front quite early on in the 19th minute. Nothing too intricate about the play, but when the ball found Zaire-Emery’s feet, he played a delicious through ball that left Isak one on one with the keeper to fire passed Alisson Becker. That lead was however short lived, with Liverpool working the ball into the box, after struggling to clear the ball it eventually found Fabinho’s feet and he struck a well hit and placed shot into the corner from just inside the 18 yard box. Then in the 38th minute, our other new signing Samardzic also made an immediate impact, grabbing a corner assist which was directed to the near post finding Thiaw’s head. He’s a good dead ball specialist, and will be a real asset for us this year. And just before the HT whistle we added a third to put us in good control of this game. A typical run down the right flank by Calabria crossed low into the box saw the Serbian tap in from close range. Things were going really well. Start of the second half, we knew we couldn’t afford to let up against such a quality side. And we got a fourth goal to give us a really strong advantage. A simple throw in from the right, eventually found it’s way to Leao who was free in the box and from near the penalty spot hit a shot low and hard to the bottom left corner. Liverpool did change things up to try and play more offensively to try and make the score more respectable. But they weren’t able to breach our back lline for a second time, and we ran out deserved winners taking this one home 4-1. Promising Start Very happy with our first performance with the diamond. Of course, it is one game and seeing how we fare over the course of the season, especially with sides likely to play a lot more tactically against us being the Champions, won’t be an easy task. But two new signings made an immediate impact and I’m hoping that by the time half of the season has been played, our new signings and team will be in a good place and playing in a cohesive manner, which would put us in good stead for the second half of the year. Our away form with the Xmas Tree last year, even though it was the best in the league, was at times far from convincing. Although the diamond won't have the numerical superiority we had last year, I'm hoping with our improved side and by playing a second striker, we may be able to be more efficient at dispatching the less capable sides in the league. But I think the start of the year will be tricky for us. We have Lazio and Inter away with Juve at home all within the first four games. A bad start is very much a possible one with these games coming a bit too soon for my liking.

Season 2 Preview - 2024/2025 Board Expectations Serie A – Win Coppa Italia – Challenge UCL – Reach Quarter Finals Supercoppa – Be Competitive UEFA Super Cup - Win Transfers I decided to try and part ways with Pulisic in the end along with Tomori, and I was able to get some decent funds in. Newcastle snapped up Pulisic for 51mil Cash, and Tomori went to Liverpool for 57mil Cash. I was also able to sell Loftus-Cheek for 12mil Cash to Napoli. I didn’t realize at the time, but Marcos Leonardo’s loan runs till end of December. So with deciding to play with the 41212 diamond this year I bought Goncalo Ramos (SC) from Benfica for 59mil to help fill in the striker shortage. Also came in was Samardzic (AMC) for 57mil, Zaire-Emery (MC) for 35mil and Diomande (CB) for 59mi. So it was a very good window both with the positions I recruited in and also the quality too. The diamond is another system highly reliant on quality players to play it, with the addition of not having an option to really control the midfield against certain formations. But it is another wingless formation I like, so I’ll see how it goes. Here is a quick look at my 41212: It won’t be so possession orientated, but generally a bit more solid and balanced in approach. So it should create more counter-attacking opportunities, and with having two strikers up front, potentially be a bit more free-scoring. However again with no wingers we will easily be exploitable down both flanks. We have invested well with Diomande who with his pace will hopefully be able to cover the times we do get breached. I think our biggest problem will actually be against those better sides that have the quality to punish us. Although the Xmas tree may rely on top players that can make the difference, there was a clear plan with trying to control the game which can cause certain profile teams more problems. IRL Milan threw away the game vs Liverpool in the UCL using the diamond after Benitez made a tactical change that stopped the dominance Milan had. But Milan were able to get over the line using the Xmas Tree, which may have helped in the Istanbul final to try and wrestle back control of the game. With the diamond, although it can be very strong in controlling games, vs certain systems it doesn’t work as well and thus can be at a greater disadvantage. Against teams superior, it will struggle to be solid enough to grind out a result / be solid enough. We had some very good wins against tough opposition in the UCL with the Tree. I hope we can have another competitive year against the big boys with solely using the diamond. My diamond idea, is perhaps a blend of Ancelotti’s Real Madrid of the modern day, along with AC Milan of old. It aims to bring a bit more solidity when defending, whist accommodating more natural strikers at the top end of the pitch, in the hope we will be more solid, and also more clinical.

@Robin97 @TheJanitor Cheers both, it certainly surpassed my expectations. I did a bit of tweaking with my tactic before starting this save, and it was my first full playthrough exclusively using it. Well, earlier in the thread is the base tactic with the roles. But I always tweak and I have so many variations, that I wouldn't plan to provide every little detail in one, as they will all differ to another variation. The TIs, The PIs, the mentality, and the roles all differ on each. So it won't really be much use, apart from people saying it won't work My tactics are never plug and play based, just try to use my hunch when needing to change things and react to things in game and taking the right approach for each opponent individually.

Season 1 - 2023/2024 Overview Players We had a lot of good performances this year. The player I had my greatest concerns with was Calabria, but he averaged highest with 7.66. 28 assists in 31 starts from right wing-back was an amazing contribution. Our two Registas Bennacer (who was out long term at the start) and Adli also contributed really well from our base of the midfield. And going forwards, Isak scored the most for us with 35 in 36 starts (and was the league’s top scorer). Giroud despite being 37 years old did a lot better than I expected too, and he actually scored so many important goals for us. He’ll actually be a real miss next year. Leao also chipped in with a lot of goals from the Shadow Striker position. He has adapted very well to that position Our other match winner this year was Maignan in goal. Not just for a few important penalty saves this year, but he was very commanding and I don’t recall him making any real errors. That’s very difficult to find in a keeper, and he’s definitely our star player in our back line defensively. I would say the most error prone area was our two CBs in Thiaw and Tomori. The average ratings support that to an extent for our regular starting positions anyway. Thiaw I feel is generally more consistent though, so Tomori would be one I would be willing to part ways with. Our signing in midfield Alan Varela has also struggled to settle it seems. But he’s been performing a little better more recently and we have competed very well against superior teams with him starting. Defence A very important area underrated perhaps, was our discipline. Despite us having the most yellow cards of all teams with 80, we also failed to have anyone sent off in the league, and I only recall one sending off happening at home in the UCL vs Man City. It was very key to our league form and undoubtedly helped with amassing a 12 points advantage. Set piece wise we conceded very few goals when it came to these and from corners, we didn’t concede a single goal which was excellent. We only let one in through indirect free kicks as well. The pressing in this particular formation despite having roles such as the Regista and Trequartista was surprisingly extremely good. We were the best at keeping the ball outside of our final third with teams having the least successful passes against us. We were also extremely aggressive in our press, and in conjunction with the Opposition Instructions employed were able to successfully place pressure on opponents immediately with the lowest OPPPDA of all sides. So despite us perhaps likely to be fragile at times defensively with this system, we were actually very strong defensively overall, conceding just 18 goals in 38 league games ending with 24 clean sheets the most of all sides. Offence Set Pieces again were strong for us, and we were the joint best team for taking opportunities from corners. We were able to produce the most final passes in the opposing third as well, successfully being able to place pressure on the opposing back line. Scoring the most goals in the league, Isak was also top goalscorer and Calabria our right wing back grabbed the most assists. Adli our backup Regista also had the most key passes of all players in the league too, despite him not being considered a starter for us, and showed what a good job he did whilst Bennacer was out for several months. Long Term Aims / Plans The board only wanted us to be competitive in the UCL, but after winning the trophy it’s important we try to bring Milan back to the level of being a real club force in Europe. Making the Quarter Finals each year with how football is nowadays would be a good achievement. My plans for next year will be to play with the squad I have already invested in for next season, which will include Marcos Leonardo replacing Giroud. I will decide on our formation at the end of the Summer. Transfer wise, if there is any chance to improve our starting CBs then I will try to do so. It may need me to try and sell a player or two to generate funds. If any one is going to depart, it will likely be Pulisic and Tomori, but only for higher quality upgrades that will directly improve our first XI. xG Defence Offence

Season 1 Update – May / June 2024 League Progress vs Fiorentina So 10 points ahead with 4 games to go, which meant a victory here would secure the Serie-A in my first season at the wheel. Although it was a home game, coming into this Fiorentina were 1st in the league form table. We also had a rotated side as we just had a UCL midweek game. And they showed why, as in the 32nd minute they threatened to delay our title celebrations. Amrabat making a run from deep to get onto the end of a lovely through ball by Bonaventura gave them the lead. I tried to encourage the lads to not let it affect our game, as we had been the better side until that point. And fortunately a few minutes before half-time Leao got on the end of a Bartesaghi cross after a marauding run down the left to see us equalize and go in that the break level. We started well in the second half, and after some pressure Giroud was able to break the deadlock nodding in from a corner. We’re really going to miss his aerial prowess next year. Fiorentina though weren’t giving up, and were still creating some situations that caused our defense some concern. But with time quickly passing, we were able to secure the game with Isak scoring from close range in the 87th minute to release the tension in the stadium as this goal was the one that made our title triumph safe. The score ended 3-1, and it was nice we could secure it in front of our home fans with a little over 70,000 people attending this game. vs Roma This game came before our Coppa Italia final – and with the number of intense games we’ve had this year I decided to pretty much play a B team, apart from Hernandez who sadly is suspended for the final. And it proved to be a good decision, as we had some squad players motivated to perform well in a tough game away. Pulisic opened the scoring after 18 minutes which we held on to HT. Bove for Roma then got sent off 10 mins into the second half, and we took advantage with Pulisic getting another 6 minutes later. Isak rounded off the goals scoring one in the 80th minute which saw us win 0-3 in what was a surprisingly comfortable away game. vs Leece Leece were already relegated by this point with only 17 points from 36 games. We made that the same point tally but after 37. It was another chance to play our second side out for this game, and they performed well securing an easy 4-0 win on our home turf. 78% possession with almost 30 shots at goal and 4 clear cut chances, it was one way traffic. Loftus-Cheek grabbed two, Pulisic again got on the scoresheet and Isak added to his tally. vs Juventus A replay of the cup final which was played at home. I felt it was important to give our first team a run out together for this game, as we had the UCL final booked in a week’s time. It was also important to try and get a win in this big game, to give us some real confidence heading into that final. And oh my, we sure did just achieve that. It was a complete goal fest in this game. Juventus actually registered more shots and more on target in this game than the cup final. But defensively, they were woeful, and us extremely potent in attack, achieving a 5.68 xG in just 17 total shots taken. Hernandez, Leao, Isak, and Varela all got on the scoresheet in the first half with the score 4-0 at HT. Kostic got one back for Juve in the 67th minute, to make the score line a little less painful for them. But then Isak decided to pop up with 3 goals in 5 minutes, between the 85th and 90th minutes which saw him grab 4 goals this game and the match ending in a 7-1 scoreline. A great boost before the game against Real Madrid, I just hope we don’t go in over confident if anything. Coppa Italia Progress vs Juventus (Coppa Italia Final) At this point we had the title secured, so it was a chance to complete the domestic double. With Hernandez suspended, in came our 18 year old Bartesaghi who had played really well for us since coming into the first team squad, so I was confident as long as he played without fear, he’d be fine. But what a bore fest of a game this turned out to be. Juventus were clearly parking the bus, because they didn’t create anything at all, nor have much intent in taking the game to us. They setup in a 343, and although possession was very even all of the shots were being taken by us. However the shots weren’t creating any highlights, with the only one being a free kick attempt which was saved. So 0-0 at HT. Second half things were exactly the same. So in the 65th minute and 77th minute I made two double substitutions to see if anyone could bring some energy and make a late impact. Still no chances being created and not a single clear cut chance was created by either team all game. But it was that aerial beast of ours who is leaving on a free at the end of the season, Olivier Giroud who popped up from a corner directed to the near post by Bennacer, getting his head to it first which flew passed their keeper to give us the lead in the 82nd minute. Then employing some severe time-wasting, we successfully killed the game at that point and the Coppa Italia was ours. The team that tried to win, ended up winning which isn’t always the case. So we did very well to come through in that respect. UCL Progress vs Inter SF Leg 1 - Away Not that there is too much difference being away, but having fan support is still an important factor. We played the away leg first, in what was an extremely cagey affair. We started off very well, and would say we definitely edged the first half. We seemed to be passing well, and had a couple of shots at their goal. But we weren’t able to have any sustained pressure, and neither did they. The game was very tight at HT being goalless. Second half however, Inter were clearly looking to improve their performance and were gaining controlf of proceedings. They were now the side having some shots, but there were a few instances where they were putting a bit more sustained pressure – which had me worried. But MOTM our goalkeeper Maignan was thwarting any of their efforts that were on target, and commanding his area when he needed to. This layed the platform for the eventual clean sheet we were able to earn – but very unexpectedly a very very late winner came our way. Winning a free kick 25 yards from goal in almost the last kick of the game, it was Bennacer who stood up to fire in a shot into the top left corner. I was of course very ecstatic, as any advantage especially going into a home leg is really useful to have. There wasn’t a single clear cut chance for any team all game, just a pure moment of brilliance that decided this one. Leg 2 - Home I decided to play on the front foot from the off, as I felt we had a team now capable to take the game to Inter more, especially with them also needing to score a goal to equal the tie. And well, we put in a brilliant performance in this game. Isak opened the scoring after 9 mins from Calabria’s low cross to give us an important cushion. Inter really didn’t have much of a choice now but to go for the game more aggressively – and so this left them highly exposed after hitting them on a swift counter to double our lead in the 35th minute, Isak again the scorer. Five minutes later a corner directed to the far post saw Thiaw climb up above everyone to nod in our third, and the tie was now truly over heading into the break 4-0 ahead on agg. Our goals didn’t stop here, with Leao and Loftus-Cheek both getting on the scoresheet before the end of the game, although Inter did grab a consolation through Bastoni. That left the final score on the night 5-1, with a 6-1 agg win overall. -- In the battle of the big Spanish clubs, it was Real Madrid who triumphed against Barca winning 3-2 on aggregate. So the final due to be at Wembley will be us against Real Madrid – I’m really surprised we made it in all honesty, as I didn’t think this system would get me this far, especially with not having the strongest central defence. == UCL Final vs Real Madrid Surprisingly, despite not having the most strenuous of training for this week preparation, both CDK and Leao were fatigued coming into this game, and both not at a great condition. Leao I felt could probably put in a bit over an hour or so, with CDK likely to try and come off the bench to make an impact. Real Madrid were without Vini for this one, which gives us a greater chance of being able to hold them out as he’s probably their most dangerous player going forwards. So both sides a little hindered going into this one. I decided to play a little more pragmatic for this game, as I tend to do when I don’t see us as favourites. The approach seemed to be working quite well, as in the first half we were definitely the side creating a few good chances – but we were not clinical enough in taking them. Scores were tied at HT 0-0. Second half, although we were looking solid again, we were struggling to create the opportunities we had done in the first half. This perhaps in part to Leao not very fresh, and with us not really having the strongest bench to make an impact, that probably played it’s part too. So it was definitely one of these UCL finals very boring, well certainly in the second half and it eventually went to Extra Time – seemed a game destined to. Extra Time I did make a few alterations given we reached this stage of the game. And well the whole of ET had zero highlights – apart from one in the 118th minute, and no, it wasn’t a Milan one it was Real Madrid, who had a good opportunity to steal the game at the death, but Rodrygo couldn’t keep his composure and scuffed his shot passed the post. At this point, all six subs had been used. The game stats really did show us deserving to win this game in normal or extra time, but it just didn’t happen. 2.45 xG to their 0.73, and 16 shots to their 11. We also had 3 clear cut chances to their zero. It would be painful for us to lose the game now. Penalties My record on penalties in FM a couple of years back was dreadful! But I’ve definitely improved my record on these, and I had my fingers crossed I could make the right selection and provide the team with the right words to motivate them as much as I could. We did practice penalties in our training over the last week, so now it was just seeing whether everything would now pay off…. First Penalty went to Real Madrid – Bellingham had it saved from Maignan! From this moment on, all of our penalty takers scored theirs up to the fourth. So that meant we were 4-3 up and on Real Madrid’s last penalty. They had to score to stay in the shootout. It was another world-class player in Modric that walked up to take it, but like Bellingham it was Maignan the man between our sticks who dived the right way and stopped a somewhat tame penalty. He’s been brilliant for us this year. And so that was it, we won 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 game which I think we really deserved to win in normal time, almost lost it at the death, but held our nerve in the shootout to give us a UCL treble. Best Performance The Inter game at home in the UCL Semi’s, blowing our rivals away in such a fashion was great for our fans. The Juve game of course in the league was also fantastic, but it’s never as sweet against your derby rivals. Overview / Next Season Expect I will post a few screenshots in the next post showing a few season statistics of the side and general league stats. I'll also for next year consider using the other narrow formation Milan used back in the day being the diamond, unless I feel like playing another year with this. With Giroud leaving however, I probably will be safer to try and play two strikers up front. This would also give Marcos Leonardo some valuable game time, whilst still having a good striker playing beside him. It would be a lot to rely on him as the sole striker in the games Isak won't be playing. But I'll see how I feel. Otherwise it was quite a fun year this one playing with something very different. I had lost my faith in using more of these exquisite roles in FM, but I guess with the difficulty of the game this year not so high it was worth trying to get such a system working again.

Season 1 Update – April 2024 League Progress vs Genoa A rotated squad after our first leg Italian Cup win against Fiorentina, saw us come up against Genoa. I wasn’t too concerned with what they had to offer at our place, and that proved to be warranted. Being allowed the ball, with our players free to express themselves we grabbed the two early goals we needed to put us in cruise control, with Giroud getting a double after 20 minutes. We kept our concentration and saw this game out through until the end, an easy 2-0 win without any fireworks. vs Sassuolo This game came after our 1-1 home draw v City in the UCL first leg. And I guess our efforts with 10 men and a weaker rotated squad out meant this would likely be a tough game. And yes, it was one of those we didn’t really turn up. We did take an early lead, but after that it was Sassuolo for the most part. They got an equalizer in the 22nd minute, and if any team was going to win the game it was them. But we held on in the end for a point, which in the circumstances from our previous game, could have been worse. vs Salernitana This one came after our 0-2 away win at City in the second UCL leg. Fortunately being at home, despite a weaker side out I was confident we could get the 3 points without too much trouble. And immediately in minute 1 Giroud set us on our way, firing passed their keeper following a Bartesaghi through ball. CDK then scored right on HT following a cross from the same man, Bartesaghi. So 2-0 up at HT against a weak side at home, it was a comfortable second half. Not much action, but we didn’t need to really push and it was another safe 3 points . vs Frosinone Our final game of the month, immediately after our 1-2 2nd leg defeat in the Coppa vs Fiorentina. So I had a strong team out for this one after heavily rotating that cup game. They were doing okay themselves, decent mid-table side that wouldn’t be a pushover. Isak gave us a very early lead after 3 minutes, finding himself free with the keeper following an excellent CDK through ball. That happened to be the difference maker in the end. Frosinone did have a few chances to equalizer, but their lack of quality showed and it was an important 3 away points for us. -- After a really heavy month with many games (8 in all comps), it was a very good month for us. Despite dropping points away to Sassuolo, we’ve made the UCL semi’s and made the Coppa Italia final. Our gap with 4 league games left is 10 points – so it will need a capitulation of huge proportions if we don’t clinch the Serie-A. Probably just as well, because we do have 3 somewhat trickier games left to play, with a home game vs Leece the one game we should win to see us through. Time will tell. Coppa Italia Progress vs Fiorentina Both legs were played this month, and this was the very first fixture for us in April. I put out a very strong team for the home leg, and we could get away with it as we were due to face Genoa in the league. And the first leg went perfectly for us. We raced into a 3-0 lead before HT with CDK scoring two and Isak getting on the scoresheet. We then made sure to keep solid in the second half, and sub Giroud came on to get a goal himself, which saw us already as good as ended the tie winning at home 4-0. Second leg I again looked to rotate very heavily, to ensure we had a fresh squad to focus on our final league game of the month. We ended up losing this game in injury time 2-1, but in all honesty I wasn’t at all fussed, booking our place in the final. Juventus ended up beating Lazio in the other semi final overturning their 1-0 loss they suffered in the first leg. UCL Progress vs Man City QF As with the Coppa, both legs were played this month and I really wasn’t optimistic at all – can’t blame me though! Leg 1 - Home With the first leg at home, best we could hope for was a good performance to give us a chance to get lucky in the second leg. However it was us that was unlucky. We took a lead early in through Isak in the 8th minute. But in the 25th minute Thiaw got a red after a reckless challenge and far from goal too. City then only 3 minutes later punished us with Grealish getting the equalizer. I was expecting the flood gates to open up, but to our credit we were able to contain them very well. They didn’t even register a clear cut chance all game, so we kept ourselves in the tie – but it would need a miraculous scoreline at their place to get through. Leg 2 - Away Given how we generally perform away from home, I was a little worried it could get quite embarrassing. But this ended up being one of my best FM’ing performances taking everything into consideration with the nature of this save. Trying to frustrate them and breaking up the play whenever possible, although City were taking a number of shots we continued to repel them. And getting frustrated, we were able to pinch the ball and launch a smooth counter-attack up the pitch. Calabria eventually found space on the right and marauding into the City area he crossed the ball low into Isak who pounced from a few yards out. The score was 0-1 at HT. With something to hold onto, that’s what we tried to do but whenever possible, to try get a breather whenever we could try to hit them on the break. Time was ticking away, and City were always knocking at our door taking several shots. But they again couldn’t muster that clear cut chance. And in a moment of City madness, they committed so many men forward at a corner situation (something I’ve seen Bayern do IRL leave no one back from the corner), after clearing it the ball found Leao in an eternity of space, to just run from the half way line and to score passed Ederson one on one. We were now 0-2 up with 16 minutes left of normal time. City at this point seemed devoid of ideas, and we were able from this point to comfortably play out the rest of time. Quite an amazing result really, especially as we really are inconsistent away from our place. -- With the UCL draw made, we’ve been pitched up to face our rivals Inter with them the considered home team in the first leg. The other semi is an all Spanish affair where Real square up against Barca. Best Performance No doubt with this one. A brilliant result at the Etihad saw us knock out Man City in the UCL. And a prime example of how xG can confuse people Our xG per shot would have been huge in comparison to Man City's. A thoroughly well deserved win, minimising them having good opportunities, whilst having some golden ones ourselves to make the difference.