ArmataSalata

A sneak peek at our exciting second half of the season...

Overall aim: overthrow Valencia CF as the city's most successful football team Aim for the season: promotion, start to build a squad capable of surviving in La Liga. Method: I'm very much a seasonal FM player, and haven't played the game at all since a brief flurry after launch in Nov' 23. Therefore, setting rules or targets for my saves seems pointless, as I often forget or ditch them, after a period away from the game. However, I generally play by these guidelines... Play on the front foot – I prefer possession football, trying to keep the ball when we have it, and win it back quickly when we don't. Maximise set-pieces – focus on corners, frees and throws to create extra scoring chances Trust the scouts – I don't sign players unless I can see all their attributes, and the scouts have given their approval Buy to sell – focus on players with potential to develop and sell on at a profit Promote from within – get young players into the squad and give them games where possible Quality over quantity – keep the squad reasonably small, with ideally 23 or fewer trusted players Delegate the dull stuff – press conferences, meetings and some of the training gets taken care of by my assistant The Squad Tactics Transfers IN Momo Mbaye D (C] £250k from Cadiz After Sergio Postigo's career-ending ACL injury in August, we needed to add depth at centre half. Mbaye ticked the boxes – decent in the air, good on the ball, and cheap...with potential resale value and the right age profile ...I also toyed with the idea of bringing in a backup right back for Capa, but in the end decided to promote a youngster from the B team, Xavi Grande. OUT Dani Gómez ST £1.8m to Lille I thought we were a bit over-staffed in attack, and this guy was generating interest, so off he popped. First half of the season Overall, I can't really complain about how things have gone...but please indulge me anyway. We've under-performed slightly in attack, and over-performed slightly less in defence, but we're top of the league and relatively comfortable in that. However, of our 14 wins, only three have been by more than a goal, and rarely do we dominate in-game, something which has come back to bite us when mistakes or freak occurrences cost us a goal. The final 3 league games before the break saw us draw twice and lose, all in games we deserved to win, and the players' reaction revealed some mental weaknesses. However, this could also be regression after the aforementioned over-performance. We also beat minnows Las Zocas 6-0 in the Copa del Rey In terms of individual performances, veteran keeper Andrés Fernández has been the star, being mainly responsible for our defensive over-performance. In midfield, the two 8s Lozano and Martínez have done well, both rating over 7.00 on average, and Lozano in particular has contributed goals as well as assists. At the back, Nikola Maraš (on loan from Alaves) had only missed 10 minutes of action until an injury in December, and has excelled in both boxes at set pieces. On the negative side, we lost Sergio Postigo to an ACL injury, which was frustrating as I was counting on his experience as captain. The right-back slot has been problematic, as Capa hasn't risen above average, and I'll be tweaking his role to try and get the best from him. Overall, a strong start, but plenty to improve on in the second half of the season