Fox-7-

Hi guys, this Is a quite long post...of you don't want to be annoyed by theory, just bypass point 1 & 2 and start directly from point 3 1. INTRODUCTION Over the past 15 years, Positional play (PP or JdP) has definitely conquered football. Although it has distant roots, from Guardiola onwards everyone talks about it, everyone studies it more and more in detail and everyone practices it (or thinks they do). But like all things, the more you know it, the more you are exposed to it and the more you get used to it, making the debate (and in the case of football, the matches) saturated, with few new starting points for discussion. Lately, therefore, the attention of the football world has been moving towards the theme of "Functional play" (FP, also defined by the term "Relativism") as opposed to PP. In reality, the two philosophies are not antithetical, as FP was not born as a countermeasure to PP but also has its own almost parallel development in chronological terms, well rooted in the South American football culture of the last century (just think of the Brazilian national teams which has dominated the football scene since the '50s with iconic teams such as "the five No. 10" team in 1970 or that of 1982, or Menotti's Argentina in '78 with "la Nuestra"). By Functional play we therefore mean a football based mainly on the relationships that naturally intertwine between the players (both between teammates and with the opponents) on the playing field when the team is in possession of the ball, where the protagonist is absolute is the ball and not the space. Or rather, it is the technical skills and intuitions of the players that govern and send the ball towards the opponent's goal in the spaces that are continuously created instant by instant with the movements of the players, and therefore decree the development of the actions. There is therefore a tendency to play with and within the chaos of a football match rather than wanting to govern and eliminate it as happens in PP. In fact, one of the main aspects of FP is the almost total absence of pre-established patterns, given that with the change of even just one player, the relationships on the pitch inevitably change and therefore consequently also the development of the game. However, this style of play cannot be trivialized by the mere concept that "the players are free to do what they want", to be effective it must be practiced in training to increase the level of knowledge among individual players (and therefore develop the best their emotional connections) and establishing a collective way of thinking, making everyone speak the same language to move towards the common goal. A different language from that of the others, more instinctive, but not for this reason easier to learn. The challenge of the coach who pursues FP is therefore twofold: one is to "be there" to create the right environment to organize the strong collective starting from respecting the freedom of interpretation and therefore of the individual's response to what happens on the pitch (and of the various players as they "enter" the action, multiplying this freedom and vastness of choices), and at the same time that of "hiding" when the game has to be created, giving basic references but again making players responsible to understand and synchronize with each other on the pitch without too many structured impositions. From these assumptions the "Approximation Play" ("Jogo de Apoio" in Portuguese, which later took on the term Functional play) was born, a way of playing where the players are asked to relate to each other by approaching as much as possible and in high numbers to the ball carrier, instead of making the most of its amplitude and symmetry to statically occupy the best and most dangerous spaces in which to wait for the ball (with the result therefore of having better positioned but distant players and therefore with " relationships" more difficult to establish). Adrian Cervera Garcia, football coach, in a writing by him identifies three types of spaces in which the JdA develops: -Intervention space: the space between whoever has the ball and his immediate vicinity, where he can be subjected to pressure from one or more opponents who try to win the ball and close the passing lanes -Mutual aid space: the space between the ball carrier and the closest teammates who can find the right place to get served -Cooperation space: the largest space where some distant companions can still be found as a passage option. Whoever has the ball therefore enters into a relationship with his teammates and with the opponents within these spaces that continuously change in terms of extension and location on the field, trying to play in those left free by the opponents who try to take the ball away (therefore space is seen as dynamic, and not static as instead in the JdP. A space where to arrive and not where to be). The goal is to move up the field trying to play in these small spaces behind the pressing player, looking for the constant search for numerical superiority in the immediate vicinity of the ball carrier which gives you the possibility of maintaining possession with short and rapid exchanges and movements continue of the players. The player is therefore no longer closely linked to a position on the field that tends to always move in the same way in the same areas and to do the same things, but from time to time depending on the situation he assumes a different function in relation to the context of the action . However, from the theory of philosophy it is impossible to get to the practice of a pure Functional play without using a minimum of pre-established patterns and the use of positions (just as it is impossible to make a pure Positional play effective without granting a minimum of freedom to the players), but it is interesting how the same concepts in the two approaches have completely different meanings. Indeed, there is also in the JdA a basic organization studied and practiced in training, for example in terms of positions, but it is far from the obsession with total control over every aspect of the game typical of the JdP. In the game of approximation, the example of the "escadinhas" (ladder) is striking, a widely used game pattern in which two or more players line up on the same diagonal line respect to the ball carrier, who makes a pass towards the closest player to him. The latter goes towards the ball and then performs a "corta-luz" (dummy) letting it slide towards the second player behind him and running around into the space beyond the opponent, evading the pressure and placing the final receiver in an area of the field free from opponents. So this is a use of positions studied in the Functional game, but in the Positional game instead you should never see two or more players on the same line, because this would mean having fewer passing lines available the ball carrier. As mentioned, the debate between these two philosophies is more open than ever, and also takes on a wider meaning from a cultural point of view as a profound difference between South America and Europe, also going beyond the football context. I close the discussion by borrowing two quotes from two great authors of the 20th century. 2. THE COACH Functional play is also arriving in Europe, or rather some coaches are starting to instill some typical concepts of this football philosophy in their tactical contexts, thus contaminating the Positional play. Examples have been made for Schmidt at Benfica, Ancelotti at Real Madrid, Spalletti at Napoli. Even Juanma Lillo (yes, I wrote Juanma Lillo, really him!) one of the "fathers" of PP in his current spell at Al-Sadd is adopting principles much closer to the FP But for once let's keep our eyes on South America, where in addition to Scaloni's Argentine national team there is another coach who is causing a lot of talk about himself Within this debate, recently, the name of Fernando Diniz, current coach of Fluminense, is making its appearance (again) on the international football scene. Former player with a career with many teams in Brazil at the turn of the millennium (including Palmeiras, Corinthians, Fluminense, Flamengo, Cruzeiro, Santos), he retired in 2008, and put himself in the role of coach, starting with small teams. After his exploit at the helm of Audax in 2016, where he reached the final of the Campeonato Paulista (lost on penalties to Santos) with a team on paper not equipped for this type of goal, his experiences with Athletico Paranense, Fluminense, Sao Paulo , Santos and Vasco da Gama had gone almost unnoticed by the general public outside of Brazil despite the fact that he were recognized for making their teams play good football, mainly due to the lack of results and the frequent team changes even with some sackings suffered. His second assignment at Fluminense which started in April 2022, however, is going much better in terms of results (last April he won the State Championship beating Flamengo) and quality of play, and for a few months now the so-called "Dinizism" is going viral on many specialized sites and posts on social networks that talk about football. But what is meant by "Dinizism"? Obviously the reference is to the style of play that his teams express on the field, which has intrigued many insiders and enthusiasts. Diniz himself, in an interview, answered a question by giving a brief description of his philosophy which refers to the Approximation play, and how it is erroneously associated with "Guardiolism" due to the search for ball possession, even if it Diniz himself says he is a great admirer of Guardiola. His style of play has therefore taken the easy name of "Dinizism" despite him, given that labeling something that instead professes freedom of expression and execution is somewhat paradoxical. After his career as a footballer, he also completed studies in Psychology, and has repeatedly brought to light the very dear theme of the mental well-being of the footballer, first as a person and then as an athlete. In fact, by his own admission he declared that he had struggled to manage the constant pressure to seek maximum performance during his career as a footballer, and therefore in his way of working he focuses a lot on the relationship with people, because only if the individual is in a perfect mental state is truly free to express itself and can therefore give its best even on the football pitch. In fact, here are various scattered statements by Diniz regarding this: 3. THE PHILOSOPHY TRANSPORTED ONTO THE FOOTBALL PITCH But let's move from theory to practice, let's see how Diniz make his Fluminense play. The cornerstones of Diniz's game are essentially 3: 1. Build-up play from the bottom to attract opponents and free up space behind them to attack 2. Consolidated possession and progression towards the opponent's goal through the approach of many players in the ball area (search for numerical superiority) with short and rapid passes and continuous movement of the players 3. Intention to recover the ball immediately in case of loss of possession BUILD-UP PLAY The "Jogo de apoio" can be seen immediately from this stage of the game. When the action starts from the goalkeeper, the outfield players form a 4+2 structure, with the double pivot positioned just outside the box ready to support the side the ball is going towards, and with the goalkeeper acting as a further possession option in the circulation of the ball to increase numerical superiority, luring and evading the first line of opposing pressure. This also happens with the approximation of the more advanced players, who slowly move back towards the ball while it circulates in the defensive third, to be found behind the defenders and be able to advance on the field in full control of the ball with fewer opponents to face. PROGRESSION THROUGH THE FIELD Once out of the defensive third, the team tries to bring the ball to the most advanced areas of the field through a dense network of short but rapid passes, which as mentioned is made possible by the fact that most of the players move close to the ball by moving in small spaces between opposing players offering numerous solutions to maintain ball possession. In fact, it is not uncommon to see 6/7 or even more players close to the flank where the ball is. Continuous unmarking and rotations of position, with a high level of coordination of thought between the players and complexity of reading for the opponent due to their frequency and unpredictability, further favor the success of this intent. The progression is initially slow, many passes take place in the central third of the field in order to attract the opponents and then play through their pressing. According to Soccerment data, in Brasileirao 2022 Fluminense excelled for total number of passes (20290, almost 700 more than the second team in this ranking), for accuracy of passes (87%) and for ball possession (61%). In this phase of the game there is probably the maximum expression of this football philosophy: small rondos, one-twos, wall passes, ladders, dummies, back-heel passes and yo-yo passes are some of the main plays with which the players move the ball and progress towards the goal, unleashing the maximum imagination in the service of the technique. However, dribbling remains an option, left to the player's choice, but it is not systematically sought after with 1vs1 isolations. In fact, if space allows it, ball conductions are often exploited to gain meters and get the opponent out of his defensive position, forcing him to free up space behind him. (In fact in 2022 league Fluminense also was first for successful dribbles in league, 445) As we can see from this map, the exchange of passes takes place almost uniformly along the entire field between the two areas with a natural increase in the opponent's half given the control exercised over the match. And from this other we can see how the greatest outburst is on the flanks, in order to move the opponent's defensive block and free up tons of space on the opposite side, which is exploited with a deep run and a switch of play Even once they have arrived near the opponent's goal, there's a tendency to control and wait for the right opportunity (60.14% of Field Tilt, 3rd of Brasileirao 2022). However, when they manage to overcome the front lines of pressure and open up space to attack the opponent's goal, they don't linger in the action, and with ball carries they get close to the opponent's area in control to organize the attack on goal. With many players arriving near the ball carrier in dangerous areas, decoy runs are practiced in an offside position to distract the opponents and deep insertions are frequently sought on the blind sides of the opposing defenders to be served with through balls, sending a teammate directly on goal or putting him in condition to play a cutback pass for an easy gol PRESSING With so many players close to the ball when in possession, the most natural thing to do in the event of losing the ball is an immediate re-attack on the opponent, who given the situation often finds himself outnumbered. Often finding themselves close to the flanks to develop the game, in case of loss of the ball the lateral foul line is exploited as an extra-defender and they compress the opponent towards it, closing the passing lines towards the inside of the field. (53.55% of Gegenpressing Intensity, 3rd in Brasileirao 2022) When the opponent restarts with a goal kick, the intent is to press immediately, making it difficult to play out of the defense. Then an approach based on a high block with many players in the opposing half is adopted, and a pressing that aims to mirror the disposition of the opponents by going man vs man. (2nd in Brasileirao 2022 with PPDA of 9.31) If the opponent manages to resist the first pressing and advance on the field, the team regroups with a medium block with two lines of 4 and Ganso and Cano who pair up trying to shield the game towards the center On the other hand, the generally aggressive and asymmetrical tactical approach can sometimes be unstable from a defensive point of view (in Brasileirao 2022 they only had the 8th defense with 41 goals conceded in 38 games) FORMATION Although Diniz does not have a strict choice of line-up, having also occasionally fielded players in 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-2-2, by far the most used formation is the 4-2-3-1. But with the fluidity of the style of play, applying the principles described above and thanks to the freedom of movement granted to the players, the end result is a compact and often not very recognizable structure to the eye, as shown for example by some maps on average positions and passing networks from different games. In this system, the player who is fundamental in organizing the game with the ball is undoubtedly Paulo Henrique Ganso. With his excellent technique and brilliant vision he is able to direct the flow of the game and involve his teammates masterfully, applying all the techniques to control the game. One-twos, close exchanges, pauses, back-heel passes, illuminating through balls... anything can start from his feet suddenly and destabilize the opponent (in Brasileirao 2022 1st for through balls, 4th for total passes and 5 ° for Expected Threat). Think of Riquelme, often called "the last No. 10", always in the heart of the game and technically and not physically dominant, in slow but perpetual motion in search of feeling with the ball. The other prominent player is Andrè Trinidade, on paper positioned on the center-right in the double pivot but who literally acts across all the pitch, offering constant support to the defenders for building from below, right and left in the progression along the flanks and even finishing, ball carrier or incursor without the ball in the area in the final third (1st for total passes and 3rd for successful dribbling in Brasileirao '22). Arias and Cano were also exalted by Diniz's game, the first is a Colombian winger who has collected 17 assists in 2022 and 10 to date (4th for chances created and for successful dribbling in the last championship), the second is a Argentine striker who has become a goal machine like never before in his career (44 in 2022 and already 24 this season, in all competitions). 4. CARRYING EVERYTHING ON FM For the starting formation, as mentioned, I stick to the 4-2-3-1 used the most. Since FM is a video game, obviously a faithful reproduction of such a fluid and not very repeatable system in reality is almost impossible, given that you have to select instructions that tend to emphasize some behaviors to the detriment of others, and so some compromises are necessary. The fixture's arrangement in the first matches of the Carioca Championship, with matches against much lower level teams, came in handy allowing me to experiment with the instructions without worrying about the outcome of the match. So, after a few games I was able to get a fairly solid tactical base that seems to me to best reflect Dinizism. According to the in-game description, the most faithful mentality would be the Attacking one, since as we have seen in his statements Diniz encourages players to take risks. Furthermore, the concept of freedom of expression and movement of the players is underlined, but there is still an inherent point in which control is privileged if the spaces are closed. But on this mentality I saw too many direct passes and a lack of control over the game, so I went down a notch and went with Positive In possession: Fairly narrow width of play: Keeps players close together, which is what we want. But according to the setup description, this concentrates play in the central area of the pitch, so to mitigate this fact I have added the instruction to focus play on both flanks. Much shorter passes, slightly higher tempo, dribble less (with the Positive mindset there will still be many), play out of defense, work the ball in the box, and above all be more expressive are self-explanatory and integrate well into the philosophy described so far In Transition: Counter-press as a cornerstone, hold shape to prioritize control when we get the ball. GK will slow down the game to allow teammates to better position themselves for the build-up play, with short distribution towards the CBs Out of possession: If counterpress fails we will rearrange ourselves in a Medium Block with Much Higher defensive line in order to compresse the space but without being too passive, so the pressing trigger is set on Much More Often with the aim to Trap Outside the opponents, and the defensive line has been instructed to Step Up More. From opponents goal kicks we try to Prevent GK distribution (integrated with man-marking instructions in PIs) Let's see the roles chosen SKd: Simple, I want a controlled distribution without forcing things too much FB-s: More suited for build-up play, doesn't bomb forward immediately but evaluates well when to do it if the opportunity arises, with the instruction go further forward and cross from the byline CBs-d: From them I simply want defense and short passes aimed at maintaining possession CWB-s: On his side, I want him to be able to enter the field from time to time thanks to his freedom of movement (we have Marcelo's qualities at our service, let's use them) RPM-s: The first metronome of the team, he can decide whether to keep possession or risk more advanced passes between the lines, without neglecting his duties in the defensive phase. CM-s: Placed on the CML spot to leave more room for RPM to also go to the left side to play the ball, with the instruction to press less often sits a little deeper in the non-possession phase pairing with RPM as a double pivot T-a: He has to do a bit of everything, free to create overload on the centre-right with RPM, FB and AP, to face the defense with the ball at his feet or to run behind the defense without the ball. APs: I want him to manage possession and organize the offensive maneuver in the last third of the pitch, I have given him freedom of movement with the roam from position instruction IWs: Among the players he is the one who has a little more license to dribble to upset the opposing defenses a bit. I told him to stay wider in order to give space for CWB to tuck inside. AFa: His main job is just to keep the opposing defenders engaged and to score, but sometimes he'll still come and play with his teammates. A bit tricky and maybe not so realistic, but i told AML/R to switch positions to make them play on both flanks Now let's see some in-game situations from the first match with this "final" version of the tactic, against Vasco da Gama: In this screen we see how there is a 4+2 setup for build-up play, with Ganso (#10) positioning himself behind the first line of pressure to provide a first outlet to break the pressure Here, for example, you can see ball possession on the right flank with the concentration of 6 players near the ball to keep possession vs 4 opponents Here instead we are in the non-possession phase, you can see the 4-4-2 defensive shape with Ganso e Cano pairing up covering the passing lines towards the midfielders and Keno end Arias guarding the fullbacks Match Stats and Ratings We controlled the game most of the time Here is the passing map at the end of the game, similar to those we have seen before with many players in the same zones This is my interpretation of the Functional Play as proposed by Diniz at Fluminense, but consider the thread as if it were yours in the sense that you can, indeed you must, give me advice, different points of view and even criticize things that you think are really wrong, to improve things. First, because I'm not an FM guru at all, in fact, I'm an absolutely average player with still a lot to learn despite 15+ years of FM. And then because, as Diniz says, things evolve through dialogue and knowledge, and this tactic can certainly evolve into something better than its first version with everyone's contribution. As an Italian, I apologize for some errors in the translation or if some words or phrases may sound a little strange All Credits & References (a lot of stuff!) in spoiler:

Wonderful thread mate, I love it! There's any chance to read something about Fernando Diniz's Fluminense?

Hi guys, recently I'm into Tudorball too. I haven't been able to see a Marseille game yet, but I've read several articles and watched a few videos here and there. Also, being Italian, I had the opportunity to see his Hellas Verona in Serie A last season, so I can extrapolate his tactical principles and try to replicate them on FM. I started a save with Udinese in Serie A, who in my opinion have a starting 11 that can fit perfectly into this tactical context. I'm not at the PC right now so I don't have a screenshot, but I set up the tactic as follows: SKd WCBs CBd WCBd WBa -- DMs ------ CWBs CARs AMs -- Treq a DLFa Mentality: Balanced In possession: Large, Slightly more direct, Play out of defence In Transition: Counterpress, Roll it out, Distribute to CBs Out of possession: Mid block, Press more often, Prevent GK distribution, Step up more Pls: CWBL dribble more, DMR stay wider, AMR move into the channels and get further forward. Also during the match, based on how they play, I can eventually set man marking to each player on the direct opponent to replicate the heavy man-oriented system in the out of possession phase I tried to set up the double pivot in this asymmetrical way to try to replicate IRL Rongier (all-court support but more defensive) and Veretout (more technical and devoted to offensive maneuver support) and trying to emphasize the movements to empty the midfield io order to free up passing lines towards the three front players or, if the pass doesn't happen, help the build-up play through combinations on the flanks with WCBs WBs and AMs (focus play on both left and right flank instructions perhaps would help further and it would increase WBs mentality, but I don't want to exaggerate things right away if it's not necessary). Also I immediately started training the "come deep for the ball" player trait at the players who will play in these positions. Up front at the moment is Thauvin as DLFa as Sanchez now in Marseille, with Beto returning from injury I will probably have to switch to another type of forward like AF like Giovanni Simeone in Verona (or TF given his physical structure) and see what happens. I'm still at an early stage as I've only played a friendly match against a team of our own strength like Empoli and the first round of the Coppa Italia against Serie B team Bari, won both easily even if narrowly on the scoreboard. From what I have seen so far the wingbacks (Udogie on the left and Ezibuhe on the right) are very involved in the game like Nuno Tavares and Clauss IRL, with the former as a ball carrier and dribbling a lot (but also being found in shooting positions by one-twos or by reaching the cross at the far post thanks to the hardcoded instruction to roam from position of the CWB role) and the latter more focused on passing and crossing. The three central defenders dominate the aerial play on the balls that are thrown forward by the opponents due to our counterpress and have had ratings >7, haven't checked their pass stats yet. Double pivot players aren't that shining in the game, but I want to look at them more closely in future games to see if the work they do is exactly what I want. Obviously more tests and matches are needed (even against stronger opponents) to have both more precise impressions and consistent data to evaluate strengths and weaknesses

Given that in game are two separated phases of play, how would a combination of "Counterpress" Transition instruction and "Low block" Out of Possession instruction work? On a lost ball, there's an amount of time (or a point on the pitch) when the ME decide that the Transition phase is over and the Out of Possession phase begins and I expect to see the players switching from the Counterpress to running back for the Low block?

I always arrange 2 friendlies each week,the first week i play first XI and subs 45' per game. On the second week I make first XI play 60' and subs 30',and on the second match of the week I inverted the amount of playing time on them. From week 3 and beyond I play one entire match with the same players if no injuries occures

I don't know if it's the right place for this... For young players that I want to keep in my squad and don't want to loan out till they become CTPs and aren't strong enough to have some playing time with the senior team, for their developement it's more effective to play in competitive U19 matches or in friendlies i.e. in a B team against stronger opponents?

Second season in Villarreal has gone...we start from the transfer market as usual: I have sold some major players like Danjuma, Estupinan, Dia and Moi Gomez for a good amount of money, let some old players like Albiolo and Capoue go for their last adventures, and get rid of some returning players from loans that weren't part of the plans likes Ontiveros and Quintillá. Baena and Martin had a chance in first squad in the first half of the season, but they didn't perform well so in January they left again the team For the incoming players I worked in advance with the money of the first season and I secured some excellent players with a relatively low cost: Mancini, central defender from Roma Oscar, attacking midfielder from Sevilla Tsimikas, left back from Liverpool Lucas Gonzalez, midfielder from Independiente Julian Alvarez, forward from River Plate In addition, other good players like Fer Nino and Cuenca have returned from loans to stay in the first squad. In January we brought Asensio to the Estadio de la Ceramica by paying a small fee to Real Madrid, as he didn't want to extend his contract expiring in 2023, and so not letting him go to other clubs for free in June The season, as is well known interrupted by the World Cup in Qatar, has gone in a great way and has seen us achieve fantastic goals: -La Liga was another closed competition with Real and Barcelona, but this year we got our well-deserved revenge against the Blancos, as this time they were the ones who dropped points in the last few games allowing us to become La Liga champions for the first time in Villarreal's history! -In the Champions League we won the group with Benfica, Marseille and Slovan Bratislava and we knocked out Inter and Man City on penalties before losing in the semifinals against Man Utd -In Copa del Rey we were unable to reconfirm ourselves as Champions, as we lost the semifinals against Valencia -In the Spanish Super Cup we beat Real Sociedad on penalties after a recovery from 2-0 down in the semifinal and then we lost to Real Madrid Compared to last year I had to rotate the players more due to the anomalous schedule with matches every three days and, due to some injuries too, no one has made great numbers (except Oscar who got double digit both in Goals and Assists) Now for the future I have to decide between two paths: -Keep most of the current players and try to buy even stronger players to defend the title and try to win the Champions League within 2-3 seasons -Revolutionize the team with the aim of having a squad only made of Spanish players within 1-2 years and keep it permanently like that

Third defense as a predicted bottom tablet team Is a great achievement! In Attack you can try to be more aggressive as you should have space left from the opponent that are likely to camp in your half as you are seen as one of the weakest team in the League. So you can try with higher tempo and more direct passes to give the ball to your front players as fast as possible. For roles and duties depends on your players: If your forward has good pace against slow CBs I'd go for something likes this ---------SKa--------- FBa CBd CBd FBs --------DMd-------- -----CMs APa----- IFs----------------Ws ---------AFa--------- Or,if your forward is a beast type you can play him as a TF who holds the ball and wait for support

As I said, I'd go for standard lines and standard pressing + regroup and see what happens in game. If you notice that with this settings you are too much passive you can surely add one notch for the pressing or move your lines higher, but to understand better i prefer to start from quite all the standard settings This is only my opinion based on what I see from your tactic, maybe someone else could suggest a different approach

I think that some (not all) of your problems in defense are in your TI. Basically with a standard LOE,Counter-Press and More Urgent pressing you are telling your players to wait till midline to press the opponent,and then suddenly go chasing the ball around the pitch. So the opponent has the time to build-up and once in your half you leave them gaps with your pressing that can be easily passed around,especially if the opponent is way stronger than you as you stated. I'd go for standard pressing and regroup, maybe switch WBs to FBs (even on Attack duty,they do a quote good job in both defensive and offensive phases) After this,you have to consider your opponent every time to spot their key players and try to limit them via OIs

On Balanced mentality playing with Very High DL & LOE and More Urgent pressing, is the Counter-Press TI an overkill?

Osasuna could be a stimolating challenge

After a long break from FM22 I went ahead with my Villarreal save. The first season was extraordinary compared to initial expectations (except for the elimination in the Champions League groups), but in the end I am almost more disappointed than satisfied. Why? Because I almost emulated the famous "Bayer Neverkusen" from the 01/02 season. Indeed: -I finished 2nd in La Liga at the end of a point-to-point battle with Real Madrid, wasting my advantage with an unexpected defeat against Alaves and a draw against Elche in the last two fixtures -In the Europa League I reached the final after beating Betis and RB Leipzig, lost against Barcelona -At least I managed to win the Copa del Rey against Real Sociedad Excellent performances by Gerard Moreno, who scored 31 times, and Svanberg, 18 goals in all competitions. Veerman was outstanding with his 14 assist throughout the season