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Post by Nick on Jun 7, 2020 16:28:46 GMT
Great idea, Nick. I'm fond of Model Citizen myself over Perfectionist, but you can't go wrong either way. I wish I could afford a HoYD with such a good personality. The best I can manage is Fairly Determined. Do we know what staff salary upgrade helps with HoYD? Is it coach salary increase? I'm not sure of the numbers behind the two personalities, but I can't imagine there's much difference between them. I know Cristiano Ronaldo has a Perfectionist personality and I'm pretty sure De Rossi was a Model Citizen on previous versions. I really struggled with staff wages until fairly recently - certainly for the first couple of years. I'm 99% sure that your HoyD will come under a coach's salary, but don't quote me on that. It seems like the logical answer as well. I don't know how much you can offer at the moment, or whether you can attract him, but my HoYD is Sebastian Pait. I don't think I pay him too much and I'll probably never need to replace him.
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Post by hokster on Jun 7, 2020 19:36:38 GMT
Great idea, Nick. I'm fond of Model Citizen myself over Perfectionist, but you can't go wrong either way. I wish I could afford a HoYD with such a good personality. The best I can manage is Fairly Determined. Do we know what staff salary upgrade helps with HoYD? Is it coach salary increase? I'm not sure of the numbers behind the two personalities, but I can't imagine there's much difference between them. I know Cristiano Ronaldo has a Perfectionist personality and I'm pretty sure De Rossi was a Model Citizen on previous versions. I really struggled with staff wages until fairly recently - certainly for the first couple of years. I'm 99% sure that your HoyD will come under a coach's salary, but don't quote me on that. It seems like the logical answer as well. I don't know how much you can offer at the moment, or whether you can attract him, but my HoYD is Sebastian Pait. I don't think I pay him too much and I'll probably never need to replace him. According to this old guide, Model Citizen means all personality traits are excellent, while Perfectionist includes high levels for personality traits that are good for development, but may allow for poor performance under pressure or poor sportsmanship. Pait is a good shout. He won't leave Velez right now, but I'll keep my eye out as we get closer to his expiry date (or if Heinze gets fired, which is...unlikely, to say the least, given how well they've been performing).
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Post by Nick on Jun 7, 2020 22:50:19 GMT
2022/23 Season Review
PRIMERA DIVISION
It wasn't a case of if, or even when, more like "by how much". We didn't get remotely challenged until the last ten games, by which time the title was already won and it was just a case of keeping everyone motivated. For 38 matches, I did that. Then we lost 2-0 away at Boca.
We scored 131 goals over the 40 games at an average of 3.2 per game. At the other end we conceded just 18 goals, conceding more than once just three times. All with a rookie 'keeper.
SUPERCOPA ARGENTINA
A one-off match against River Plate was decided by penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time. It was a shootout we won.
COPA LIBERTADORES
As easy as it was in the league, our Libertadores group was about as hard as it could have been. Fluminense and Santos proved to be a massive test. The other team in the group, Independiente Santa Fe, were no mugs and gave us two hard games.
We started off with a draw in the Maracana against Fluminense and I felt that was about right. Even with our quality, we've no divine right to go to Brazil and beat these kinds of teams. A draw will always be seen as a positive. We played well against Santos at home in game two, had two goals disallowed, and had to be happy with a point in the end. Our games against Santa Fe would go a long way to deciding if we qualified, a thought that had previously not even been in my mind. That put the pressure on a bit. A 2-1 win away was just about deserved but we had to wait until the 80th minute for a Maxi Romero penalty to win it. It was a similar story at home, but this time we waited until the 93rd minute for a winner.
We were in a good position after four matches, but I was well aware that we still needed a result against one of the Brazilians to qualify and I didn't want us to go to the last game needing a win. Thankfully the lads turned up against Santos and we went there and won 2-1 with goals from Diaz and Monzon. That win saw us qualify and we finished the job against Fluminense at home, winning 2-0.
TABLE | FIXTURES
This is the big one now. We need to win this tournament for my time here, and indeed the save as a whole, to be seen as a success. On paper that looked like an easy group win, but each game was tight despite our domination of the match stats. The knockout stages being played next season could be a blessing in disguise. It'll allow us to re-group over the summer break and come into the season with renewed motivation because it was lost a little after the procession that was the league.
The second round has a few notable absences this season, but still provides plenty of threat in Botafogo, Corinthians, Gremio and of course Flamengo. River Plate, Palmeiras, Santos and Sao Paulo all failed to make it out of their group. I'm happy enough with Colombia's Nacional (2016 winners) but we'll have to turn up in both legs to get through. I am expecting all of the Brazilians and Boca to get through.
SQUAD OVERVIEW
I've not really gone into my squad in any great detail, but after a season like that, it's about time I showed you what I was working with.
Goalkeepers
Lucas Escobar - the only senior goalkeeper at the club. I can't fault him at all this season, but if there is a weakness to the squad, it's in goal. Not improved greatly, and could find himself out of the side if I can find a replacement.
Left Backs
Braian Cufre - First choice. Finished with 14 assists this season and an average rating of 7.68. Loves getting forward and runs an average of 8.5 miles per game. Offers from China come flooding in every window, with offers circa £30m, but I don't want to sell even for that sort of money.
Francisco Ortega - Strange player. Only outperforms Cufre in one area and that tackles won per game (4.59 vs 3.55) but still attracts offer of £30m from China. I've been holding off for a while now, but he might be off this summer if I receive that kind of money again.
Right Backs
Hernan De La Fuente - Solid player that goes about his business. Doesn't ask for more money every 12 months and is rarely injured. Consistent and enjoys the big matches.
Nicolas Moreno - Youngster drafted in this season. Injury cut his season short, but he played well when fit. Just starting to develop and will play a bigger part next season. Too early to judge whether he'll ever be first choice.
Centre Backs
Lautaro Giannetti - Club captain and Mr Consistent. Arguably my favourite player. Averages well over a seven, year in, year out but unwanted at international level despite his club form warranting a callup.
Emiliano Amor - Always been used as a backup player, but always performed when called upon. Loan moved aside, he's been at the club his entire career. Just starting to whisper about wanting a new challenge and with interest from Mexico and Spain, this year might be his last at the club.
Elias Machuca - On loan from Chelsea this season and has performed well enough to make resting Giannetti a non-issue. Given how many games he's played, and how well he's played, I expected more from him development wise, but that's the only negative I have about him. A top young player.
Luis Abram - The left-footed version of Giannetti. An absolute rock at the back. I've knocked back offers from Spain for him for the last two years and he's not complained once. Hugely consistent and loves the big matches.
Centre Mids
Fausto Vera - Big money signing from Argentinos Juniors has taken his game to another level. International caps have followed and his performances as the deep lying playmaker have warranted them. Plays in every big game and plays to a high standard. City and United have been after him.
Fabricio Diaz - Wonderkid signed from Liverpool (URU) for just under £2m. Continues to improve both on and off the pitch and has recently appeared for Uruguay. Plays both the deep lying and mezzala role and plays them both to a high standard. Eventually I want him to settle in one of these, but for now he just needs games.
Mauro Pitton - Backup but never lets me down. Been asking for more game time, which is something I can't really do, so may have to make way this summer for another talented youngster coming through.
Facundo Caseres - Development over the last 18 months has been incredible. Injury cut his season short, hence the slight drop in attributes. 25 starts should be enough to keep him happy.
Left Wing
Isaias Barroza - Never been first choice, but a good option to have in what is arguably our weakest outfield position. 6 goals and 9 assists in 14(8) appearances this season suggests that he should probably get more game time.
Thiago Ojeda - This was his breakthrough season having played for me in the youth team for longer than was probably good for him. Made the step up without blinking. 19 goals and 5 assists with an average rating of 7.48. Tired a little in the latter stages and picked up an injury so I'll have to watch his game time next season.
Right Wing
Lucas Orellano - Second year in the first team and continues to impress. 12 goals and 8 assists from him this year, but I think there is more to come from him. No interest from other teams in him just yet, but he's been through about three agents this season as they all want more money for him and I ask him to get rid of them every time it happens.
Alvaro Barreal - An able deputy to Orellano, contributed 7 goals and 5 assists this season and does well when called upon. Will only improve a little bit more and if the opportunity for that marquee signing comes up, he may find game time harder to come by.
Attacking Mids
Lucas Robertone - Big player. Plays for Argentina and plays consistently well for us. 6 goals and 15 assists with an average rating of 7.35. I play with a shadow striker in the AMC spot, which isn't a particularly creative role, but having him play as a play maker doesn't benefit us much as a team. It's something to mull over though.
Alex Guijarro - Spent last season on loan at Colo Colo in Chile and scored four and created five more in 16 games. Developed hugely, came back and hasn't stopped. I now need more from his in terms of output. The only person in the squad to average under a 7 this season and four goals and one assist isn't enough in a team that scores as many goals as we do, especially when Robertone puts out what he does.
Strikers
Florian Monzon - 23 goals in 24 starts nails him down as our best marksman and one of the most sought after players in the country. Interest from Mexico, Brazil and Europe in each window. Missed a couple of key penalties this season, most notably in the Libertadores final in normal time, but gets us out of trouble more than he puts us in it. The complete striker.
Maximiliano Romero - I wasn't completely convinced by him when he was here on loan, but I made his deal permanent none the less. He came alive this season with 26 goals, albeit 10 of those were from the spot. If he was on the pitch instead of Monzon in the Libertadores final, we'd have won it. Doesn't miss pens. Interest from Boca, but he won't be going anywhere.
MANAGER VIEW
Domestic domination has been achieved, that much is clear. Now it's the small matter of converting that into the Libertadores - it's the only thing missing. I'm hoping I get one of those game defining youth intakes soon where I can draft in four or five youngsters, replace the deadwood in the first team squad and concentrate on mass development. At the moment it's only really Guijarro and Diaz in the first team with any real development still ahead of them.
£25m in the bank, maxed out facilities and a stadium move still in the pipeline but no further along than last time I mentioned it. I was offered a four year deal. Signed.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 11:47:25 GMT
My new U20's coach. He's not the greatest coach in the world, but surely he can pass something on to my youngsters. He's only just retired (and only has the National C licence) so hopefully he can improve a bit too.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 12:46:19 GMT
Progress. Looking forward to seeing the wingers coming through, but we're fairly well stocked in the other positions. At this point though, I just want someone with a bit of potential.
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Post by chaodck on Jun 8, 2020 20:00:31 GMT
Finally caught up with your save Nick, some terrific progress specially on the Libertadores, something which I've found super hard on my save (two semis and six quarter finals in 9 seasons ain't good). You surely have a lot of good players mate, despite the intakes not being that good, Vera looks just amazing (in my save he went to Flamengo then on to Monaco) and Díaz on the other hand also looks great (not so much in my save haha). Are you still playing the 4-2-3-1 from the Depor save, have you tweaked it a bit? I'd love to see what you've done with it as you're playing awesome football. My youth intakes may be a complete travesty at the moment, but my HoYD is not, and each year I get at least one player like Salcedo above. Low CA and low PA (from judging him by his attributes and the assistant manager report) but just about the best personality you can get in the game. Is Model Citizen better? I also prefer Perfectionist. I'm going to use Salcedo as a small experiment. Just how good can he become with the right training? Initially, I'm interested in three things in particular: - How much can he improve over the next 12 months?
- Will his potential ability change increase if/when his current ability increases?
- Can his lack of consistency be coached out of him?
I've included my assistant manager report of him for good measure. It'll be interesting to see how that changes. I've found this super interesting and will follow closely for the results. I've been having intake problems of my own in my La U save. So much it's deterring interest from it. I haven't really checked closely the personalities from the non good players (I don't even sign less than 3* players, and only buy the newgens with 3.5* PA or more) so if this is truly a breakthrough there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Or well, maybe recruiting is harder this version.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 21:29:57 GMT
2023/24 Season Preview
TRANSFER WINDOW
It was a rough window. As soon as it opened, the floodgates opened. Offers clogged my inbox every other day for Vera and Diaz, most notably from Atletico Madrid and Man City. If they were rejected for one of them, they'd bid for the other. This carried on for the entire window. Both requested transfers, and I could probably get £30m each for them, but I'm loathe to break this squad up before we win the Libertadores and selling your first choice midfield in the same window isn't ideal preparation for trying to win it this season. So I held firm. Reject. Reject. Reject. Eventually the window closed and they both came to me with a change of heart - they want to stay. At least until bids come in again. We've played the first ten games of the season with their morale shot, but they're just starting to show their true worth again.
On a more positive note, you'll remember the need for a new goalkeeper. Well, my scouts came up trumps. Fabian Borja was at Envigado in Colombia. A team with arguably the best reputation for producing youngsters in FM. He was wanted by Man Utd and Liverpool. Such was my desperation to get the move done, I threw £1m at them and crossed fingers and toes in a bid to stop the two Premier League teams bidding for him. They didn't. I hurried the contract offer through and we got him without a problem. That's the goalkeeper position sewn up until the European teams come knocking or we produce someone better of our own.
We managed to keep everyone in the first team, but Deportivo Toluca offered me £3m for a reserve striker so he was off.
PRIMERA DIVISION
I'm hoping we're a little more human this season. Early signs suggest we are, but also that we only have to put in a 7/10 performance to beat most teams in the league. We started with a 1-1 draw at Gimnasia and an unconvincing 2-1 win at Lanus. We then rattled off five clean sheets in a row to restore a bit of normality.
It looks like River have started well, but you'll notice they've conceded 15 goals in their 10 games. They've conceded at least 2 in 7 of those 10 games and unless that changes, they'll get nowhere near us again. Boca have started really badly and were dreadful in our 3-1 win there in our last game. They're currently managed by that fat cheat Maradona but if they carry on like that, he'll be out the door. Providing he can fit through it of course.
A couple of minor hiccups, but nothing to be concerned about at this stage. It's a busy start to the season, with 9 matches in August, so I've had to rest players more than I usually would. To come out of that period in the position we're in is a massive positive. The league is now your regular 38-game affair after the 4-year re-structuring is now complete.
COPA LIBERTADORES
We headed slightly into the unknown when we visited Colombia to play Nacional. They come with a big reputation, but haven't been dominant in domestic football, far from it. Within 8 minutes we were 2-0 up and from then on the nerves were settled. They did pull one back before half-time, but we scored twice in the second half to record a 4-1 win and put one foot in the quarter finals. A professional performance at home, and two goals just after the half hour mark saw us go through with no issues.
We definitely got the easier of the quarter final opponents, another Nacional, this time Uruguay's offering. A tough away game that we just shaded ended 0-0 and put us in a slightly precarious position at home. We came out the traps fast back in Argentina and goals from Abram ('16) and Guijarro ('18) settled the tie.
We'll travel to Brazil to face Botafogo in the semi final, after they beat Estudiantes. The other semi? Corinthians and...Flamengo. I was hoping Boca would do us a favour and dump them out, but they lost 3-0 on aggregate. Lets not get ahead of ourselves though, we've got a tough trip to Rio de Janeiro coming up first.
OFF FIELD
It took a little while for me to be able to improve the junior coaching, but it's now reached an 'exceptional' level, which I think is the highest. If so, that'll mean that all our facilities are now maxed out. No extra news on the stadium move, it's still in the planning permission stage, but I'd be surprised if we don't get news of it before the end of the season.
I've been on the lookout for a feeder club that will put youngsters in our academy and I've chosen Danubio for that honour. They have excellent youth facilities/coaching/recruitment so hopefully we get some decent Uruguayans coming through to compliment the Peruvians we get from my manager's nationality.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 21:43:42 GMT
Finally caught up with your save Nick, some terrific progress specially on the Libertadores, something which I've found super hard on my save (two semis and six quarter finals in 9 seasons ain't good). You surely have a lot of good players mate, despite the intakes not being that good, Vera looks just amazing (in my save he went to Flamengo then on to Monaco) and Díaz on the other hand also looks great (not so much in my save haha). Are you still playing the 4-2-3-1 from the Depor save, have you tweaked it a bit? I'd love to see what you've done with it as you're playing awesome football. I've found this super interesting and will follow closely for the results. I've been having intake problems of my own in my La U save. So much it's deterring interest from it. I haven't really checked closely the personalities from the non good players (I don't even sign less than 3* players, and only buy the newgens with 3.5* PA or more) so if this is truly a breakthrough there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Or well, maybe recruiting is harder this version. Thanks mate. We're the Libertadores' nearly men at the moment - still waiting for the opportunity to lift the trophy, but I'm sure we'll get there. Hopefully this year. I'm still using what was the Depor tactic, but have made some changes, I think mainly just to player roles: Off the top of my head, the changes I've made are: - Dropped both fullbacks from CWB's to your usual attacking fullbacks. I find that role a little more balanced, particularly if you don't play with a defensive midfielder. - Changed the B2B midfielder to a Mezzala. With the squad I have, I could afford to have the more attack minded Mezzala next to the DLP. I find that he influences much further forward and is often the player to assist the assister. - The shadow striker has changed to an AP on attack duty. This is a role I have recently changed in an attempt to get more out of Guijarro, but I do switch between the two, depending on how the match is going. I am also playing around with the striker role, mainly because I can afford to do so without losing much of our level of play. I've been using a Pressing Forward (attack) or Complete Forward (attack) but neither seem to be as effective either in getting more out of the striker or more out of the team as a whole. As for team instructions, I've removed 'get stuck in' and the offside trap. I have also lowered the line of engagement to 'higher' rather than 'much higher'. I don't think there were anymore, but there might have been. Salcedo has been an interesting case already. I'll report more on him later on in the season.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 22:16:26 GMT
Flamengo beat Corinthians 3-0 in the home leg of their semi final so that's one foot in the final for them. I imagine our semi final will be far closer than that.
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Post by ttgb on Jun 8, 2020 22:39:35 GMT
Envigado - I remember having a great YDWAWK save with them. Always the first team I manual scout.
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Post by ttgb on Jun 8, 2020 22:44:26 GMT
Great idea, Nick. I'm fond of Model Citizen myself over Perfectionist, but you can't go wrong either way. I wish I could afford a HoYD with such a good personality. The best I can manage is Fairly Determined. Do we know what staff salary upgrade helps with HoYD? Is it coach salary increase? I'm not sure of the numbers behind the two personalities, but I can't imagine there's much difference between them. I know Cristiano Ronaldo has a Perfectionist personality and I'm pretty sure De Rossi was a Model Citizen on previous versions. I really struggled with staff wages until fairly recently - certainly for the first couple of years. I'm 99% sure that your HoyD will come under a coach's salary, but don't quote me on that. It seems like the logical answer as well. I don't know how much you can offer at the moment, or whether you can attract him, but my HoYD is Sebastian Pait. I don't think I pay him too much and I'll probably never need to replace him. Thought I recognised the name. Valez released him in 2022, he remained without a job until I picked him up in 2026 for my Palermo side.
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Post by Nick on Jun 8, 2020 22:44:37 GMT
Envigado - I remember having a great YDWAWK save with them. Always the first team I manual scout. Damn, I knew it was you. I didn't want to say it in case it wasn't and then I'd look like a dick. Ever since you had that save, I've checked them out. Even had a save of my own with them.
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Post by ttgb on Jun 9, 2020 0:34:48 GMT
Envigado - I remember having a great YDWAWK save with them. Always the first team I manual scout. Damn, I knew it was you. I didn't want to say it in case it wasn't and then I'd look like a dick. Ever since you had that save, I've checked them out. Even had a save of my own with them. Good memory
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Post by Nick on Jun 9, 2020 8:32:23 GMT
I've always been pretty good at remembering other people's saves, but after 15 years of being around the FM community they do sometimes get a bit muddled!
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Post by Nick on Jun 9, 2020 12:04:16 GMT
2023 Youth Intake
Everyone's favourite day of the year. The preview indicated this year might be a bit more of a success than previous years and, in many ways, they were right, but I'm also left a little disappointed by the hand I've been dealt.
Alejandro Carmenini becomes the newest Perfectionist in the squad, but lacks any kind of potential. Like Salcedo before him, he's been signed as something of an experiment and it'll be interesting to see how he develops if nothing else. Matias Capalbo looks like a half decent player, particularly at youth level, but he has a dreadful personality that will need to be beaten out of him as soon as possible. I'm not really sure of what type of player he'll be, but I'll give him time and see if one side of his game develops more than the other. Gustavo Velasquez has the highest rated potential of the intake and comes with a good personality too. He's also two-footed. Looks like he's going to be more of an out and out winger rather than an inside forward, but could do both at this stage. Lucas Bravo comes in with probably the best current ability, but little by way of potential. He's got no pace, but is a decent finisher for his age and has good movement and composure. I'm hoping my coaching staff have got it wrong and we can get more out of him that the 1.5* potential they currently suggest.
I have also signed Ryduan Castellanos, Gustavo Fiorenza, Carlos Bourne (no relation to Jason) and Sebastian Capello.
All in all, I've been left disappointed. Plenty of players good enough for youth football, but nothing that really gets me excited for the future.
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Post by Nick on Jun 10, 2020 16:51:14 GMT
2023/24 Mid-Season Review
Flamengo have become a massive pain in my ass. Whilst we've been almost unbeatable at home, casting a shadow over River and Boca, on the continent, Flamengo have been the ones throwing the shade. We managed to get past Botafogo 3-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in Brazil and a 2-0 win at home, but Flamengo beat us 2-1 in the final to consign us to a third consecutive Libertadores loss, with the last two being against them. We deserved so much more. We were missing De La Fuente for the game and then Diaz was injured after just 7 minutes, but we controlled possession and had the better of the chances - three clear cut. We put one of them away to equalise, but a wonder goal from Tomas Chancalay won it for them 10 minutes later. It just wasn't to be. To rub salt into the wounds, we also lost the Copa Argentina on penalties to fucking Instituto three days later. Morale was nearly rock bottom.
I've managed to steady the ship since then, going unbeaten in five before the winter break. Our performances have definitely stepped down a level since last season, which is to be expected I guess. We've not managed to score as many goals, with the wide players in particular being a bit of a disappointment. Maybe they all just peaked last season when we were riding the crest of a wave. Of the four of them (Ojeda, Barreal, Orellana and Barroza) none of them has over 5 goals or assists and only one (Barroza) averages over 7 (7.05). Coupled with neither Romero or Monzon scoring more than 8 and you could say we've struggled for goals this season.
At the other end of the pitch, we still excel, with only 14 goals conceded in the 21 games so far. The introduction of Fabian Borja seems to have gone smoothly. It's never easy bedding in a goalkeeper, but 12 clean sheets in 21 games is a good start to his career here and I'm sure he'll only get better. Lautaro Gianetti continues to be a leader on and off the pitch. He's just about to reach the end of his career and I'm dreading the time when I have to replace him. He's currently averaging 7.42 across all competitions, which is the highest in the squad, but it's his role as captain that is helping me the most. Once again, bids came flying in for my players, but at the slight hint of them being unhappy that bids are being rejected, I send in Gianetti to smooth things over. It works every time, such is his influence in the dressing room.
As expected, Maradona didn't last much longer at Boca, but he jumped ship before he was pushed. He moves back to Newell's Old Boys, while ex-Argentinos Juniors and Palmeiras man, Diego Dabove, takes over at Boca. Their form hasn't greatly improved, but they can still flex their vast financial muscle to attract players. Speaking of which, I noticed their sponsorship money went from £16.5m to £12.5m this year, which seems like it could be the start of something interesting there. Our own sponsorship income is still £2.5m, which seems a little low given our increase in reputation since the game started.
We had a presidential election at the club and the current chairman won a second term. No more news on the stadium move, but I remain hopeful of something concrete before the season is over, hopefully with a large stadium sponsorship deal. Odds on it being named after a club legend? Jose Amalfitani has already been done, so it's more like to be named after Carlos Bianchi or the great man, Jose Luis Chilavert. Or, you know, just the Velez Stadium, such is FM's creativity.
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Post by Nick on Jun 10, 2020 19:13:50 GMT
2023/24 Copa Libertadores Sub-20 Review
Just a quick update to look at this year's Sub-20 tournament and some of the players that I'm working with at youth level.
After winning the competition last season, we were once again invited to play in the youth version of the Copa Libertadores, this year played in Chile. We were drawn in a group with Colo Colo (Chile), Caracas (Venezuela) and Independiente Del Valle (Ecuador).
A dominant start to the tournament with Diego Molina and Alejandro Carmenini almost unplayable on both wings. Carmenini has a long way to go, but is developing really well at the moment and putting in some good performances.
Caracas were no match for us as I expected and we've put ourselves in a commanding position in the group. Gustavo Velasquez, so often in Molina's shadow, proved that he too deserves a chance in the big games by scoring two in as many minutes to put us ahead at half time. Enrique Malano came alive in the second half to earn himself the Man of the Match award after scoring a brace. This seems to be about his level at the moment and I don't think he'll ever be a Primera player, but hopefully we can help him forge a career in the lower leagues.
Qualification secured with another resounding victory. I've been surprised at how easy we've found this. On paper, we're much weaker than we were at this stage last season. Younger too. Malano again got a couple with Luis Hollembach getting his second in as many games. He's one of the 'old guard' in the team and 19 is usually my cut off for youth football. He'll be going out on loan at the end of this season to further his development. Alejandro Surace also got in on the act with a header from a corner.
Junior have one of the best youth setups in South America, outwith the Brazilian and Argentinian clubs, but we outclassed them all over the pitch. Malano, Carmenini, Molina and Gustavo Fiorenza all scored again, while Lucas Bravo and Alan Meyer opened their accounts. Bravo picked up a knock before the tournament so hasn't played as much as I would like, but he's someone I'm keen to see develop as I think he could be a good player. We march into the final to play Gremio.
After the previous matches the final was a bit of an anti-climax as we seemed to use up all of our goals. As you can see, we controlled the game, we even had one disallowed in injury time, but we eventually got the win via penalties after a monster shootout. Alejandro Surace picked up the MoM award for his efforts.
Conclusion
I think we have a few bright prospects here and some really encouraging development from players that I initially wasn't too excited about. Velasquez and Molina certainly have the best chance of 'making it', with the latter probably going to be on the fringes of the first team next season. A brief mention for Mario Blanco who picked up three assists in his four tournament starts and is improving every week.
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 15:23:59 GMT
2023/24 Review
PRIMERA DIVISION
I don't know what it was about last season specifically that made it so unenjoyable? Perhaps the longer league schedule and the fact that it felt like we didn't really have to work for it put a bit of a downer on it. This season was completely different. The first half of the season, without being a struggle, was testing. River were hanging onto us and after 21 games we were just three points clear.
Having lost the Libertadores final and the Copa Argentina final in successive games, we would have been forgiven for feeling sorry for ourselves. In that regard, the winter break came at exactly the right time. I'd mentioned previously that I'd changed the shadow striker in my 4-2-3-1 to an advanced play maker, but it never felt like it was working. I looked over a handful of matches where we'd struggled and dropped points and tried to focus on that position and the effect it was happening on the team. With the position being a play maker, naturally the rest of the team looked to him. I was finding this was happening even when there was a better option available and, with teams sitting deeper and compact against us, it often meant that going through the middle was seeing the AMC crowded and marked out of the game. Over the winter break, I decided to change the role again, this time to an attacking midfielder with an attack duty. He was asked to shoot less often, but take more risks when he had the ball. Our results over the second half of the season speak for themselves.
I'd criticised players like Thiago Ojeda during the first half of the season, but the tactical tweak worked wonders for his goals count and he actually ended the season in double figures. I'm hoping the improvement in Alex Guijarro's form over the second half the season will carry into next year because he's starting to look like some player. On a more negative note, one player that did disappoint this season was Florian Monzon, and I never imagined those words would come out of my mouth. His return of 12 goals is his lowest since the start of the save and half of what Romero scored this year. With offers of around £30m coming in during the last window, his head may have been turned, but they were only from Chinese clubs. If I receive offers around that mark again, I'd be inclined to click accept.
Believe it or not, this is actually the first year that ourselves, Boca and River have made up the top three.
SUPERCOPA ARGENTINA
We got the opportunity to get revenge against Instituto in this one off game and it was a chance we took. Goals from Gianetti, Robertone and Monzon helped us to a 3-1 win and another trophy.
COPA LIBERTADORES
A new opportunity to add ourselves to the history books. We were drawn with Botafogo (Brazil), Melgar (Peru) and Nacional (Uruguay) in this years group stage.
FIXTURES | TABLE
Comfortable enough in the end with only Nacional causing us any real issues, where we had to come from 2-0 down at half-time to grab a draw. Our reward for topping the group is...Flamengo. Fuck. The good news is that we play them over two legs, rather than a one off game, with the second leg being at home. Regardless, it's the toughest draw we could have got.
COPA ARGENTINA
I'll never understand the scheduling of this tournament. As always we play the fifth round of next year's competition this season. We were drawn away at our fierce rival, Nueva Chicago. We ensured we took home the bragging rights after a 6-2 win, the goals coming from Monzon (2), Guijarro (2), Barreal and Ojeda.
OFF FIELD
We've started to lose money at a higher rate than ever before. We're down to around £10m in the bank, so this summer will definitely see at least one outgoing transfer for big money in order for us to balance the books a bit. At the moment, the favourite is Monzon. That aside, we are a picture of health off the pitch.
Both the reserves and the youth team also won their respective leagues this season further proving our dominance over the domestic game. It's highly likely that Diego Molina will be the latest player to make the step up to the first team.
Five years into the save now and we're starting to see some really tasty looking regens spawn all over South America. My scouts are churning our reports on a weekly basis and I have three foreign spots still to fill so hopefully we see a couple arrive over the off-season.
No additional news on the stadium move.
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 18:39:44 GMT
My new U20's coach. He's not the greatest coach in the world, but surely he can pass something on to my youngsters. He's only just retired (and only has the National C licence) so hopefully he can improve a bit too. Quick update on my guy Messi, mainly because looking at coach development is something I completely gloss over and I think it'll be interesting to look back on. As you can see, he's upgraded his coaching qualification from National C to Continental B and has improved quite a lot as a coach as a result. Att - +3 Def - +4 Fit - +1 Ment - +3 Tac - +3 Tech - +2 WwY - 0 Dis - +1 Hand - 0 ShSt - +1 Ada - 0 Det - 0 LoD - 0 MM - +4 Mot - +4 JPA - +2 JPP - +3 JSA - +2 Neg - +2 Tac Kn - +4 An increase of 39 points across all his attributes is pretty good I think. It'll be interesting to see how much he improves after getting his A and Pro licence, which is the next time I'll make the comparison. Can he increase further after gaining his Pro licence or is that the ceiling?
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Post by hokster on Jun 11, 2020 18:48:44 GMT
An increase of 39 points across all his attributes is pretty good I think. It'll be interesting to see how much he improves after getting his A and Pro licence, which is the next time I'll make the comparison. Can he increase further after gaining his Pro licence or is that the ceiling? That is impressive development. I believe so long as he has PA to spare, he can still progress after getting his last license, but there's no way to know if a coach has reached his potential or not.
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 21:22:23 GMT
The Messi experiment is over. Long live The King.
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 21:33:08 GMT
On a brighter note, did someone say golden generation?
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 21:58:11 GMT
Messi's replacement and the next staff project.
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Post by Nick on Jun 11, 2020 22:15:51 GMT
Let's GOOOOOO baby! Job half done after a stunning performance in the Maracana. Clearly not over yet, but if we can knock them out at this stage, we take out our biggest competitor and South America's number one team.
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Post by chaodck on Jun 11, 2020 22:18:17 GMT
Wow!!!! I'm far behind and will catch up soon, but congratsssss!!!!! Terrific work on the save Nick. What are the plans now?
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Post by Nick on Jun 12, 2020 10:32:25 GMT
2024/25
FOREWORD
Here we go, the start of season six. Our progression as a club, both on and off the pitch, has been clear for all to see. We are the biggest club in the country and the seventh biggest in South America. The journey won't really be complete until we win the Libertadores and top both lists. What promised to be a reasonably quiet summer, turned into a busier one than expected...
TRANSFERS
I had earmarked Florian Monzon as a potential outgoing deal this summer, but the truth is, apart from a few bids from Boca, there was very little interest in him. A poor season and a couple of years older, it looks like the European teams have given up on him, even the Chinese. One player that did have some interest in him was Facundo Caseres who, as you can see, has made a move to Man Utd. I was under a little bit of pressure to boost the bank balance, so when a bid came in for £40m + 50% of next sale, I decided to accept. I think there's no doubt that he'll eventually move somewhere else for huge money and his value increasing to £50m straight away in encouraging. I didn't feel like I had to replace him as we're fairly well stocked in midfield, but when Giuliano Damiano was available on a free from our feeder club, Danubio, I decided to bring him in. I was unsure whether to loan him back straight away, but decided that keeping him around the first team would be more beneficial at the moment. He's a bit rough around the edges, but I'm hoping some first team football and some mentoring will make him look a much better player in 12 months time.
The other big outgoing transfer was that of Francisco Ortega. I had negotiated a price for him which the buying club (Monterrey) rejected and all hell broke loose. I was getting in the way of his move, he could be paid more, he wanted out. Fair enough. Atlas bid £5m and he was off. His replacement, Walter Perez, joins for £1.6m from Huracan. He looks solid and reliable, even slightly better than Ortega. Cufre will remain first choice, but Perez can fill in whenever needed. For the price, I think we got a good deal.
I wasn't in the market for another goalkeeper, but one of my scouts found Emerson Quinonez sitting at Macara in Ecuador and gave him a 91 rating on his scout report. Whenever you see one that high, you take notice. At 18, already a regular for his country and a wonderkid to boot. Was happy on a backup contract and will only improve in the future. It does mean that I have two wonderkid goalkeepers, but what a position to be in.
My last two deals were for two young players for the future. Daniel Sanchez comes in from San Lorenzo for £900k compensation initially, with another £1.2m due over the next few years. Still very raw, but 5* potential and a Model Citizen personality was too much to pass up on. I'm not sure on the best plan for him. At the moment he's in the youth team to gain match experience. My plan is to give him a year at that level to develop a bit further and then just throw him in the first team, but I'm not sure that's going to be best for him. I think he might be one of those players that is still developing hugely at around 22, so maybe a year on loan at a feeder club would be the better option? Finally, Martin Sanchez comes in for £3.4m from Quilmes. There wasn't a space in the first team for him, so when Colo Colo came in with a loan deal for him, I jumped at the chance. I sent Alex Guijarro there a few years ago and have been meaning to get them as a feeder club. He came back a completely different player. Played a lot of football, developed hugely and has been in my first team squad ever since. I'm hoping for the same with Sanchez.
ON PITCH
It's been a hectic start to the season, as always. As a general rule in Argentina, if you can get through the first three months of the season relatively unscathed, then you stand a great chance during the rest of the season. You'll have seen that we travelled to Flamengo and won 3-1. Before that, we had a Copa Argentina game against Defensa y Justicia where we scrapped to a 1-0 win. We played them again on the first day of the league season, this time away from home and won 2-0 thanks to goals from Romero and Guijarro. A good result considering we had one eye on the second leg with Flamengo.
The score ended up being tighter than I initially anticipated and than our performance over the two legs deserved. MATCH STATS. We lost 1-0 but thankfully managed to get through, ironically to play their bitter rivals, Fluminense. You'll remember we played them last season in the group stage and drew 2-2 away and won 2-0 at home.
The quarter finals have a wonderful Argentina/Brazil split to them:
This is Argentina's best showing and it'd be nice to get into the semi final with one of the others. Instituto are having the tournament of their lives.
Back in the league, we're flying, unbeaten and have racked up a couple of big wins in the opening six matches.
For now though, it's all eyes on the Libertadores with Fluminense at home up next. I'm hoping for a clean sheet and a couple of goals to get us off to a good start in the tie.
OFF PITCH
The Caseres money has boosted the coffers nicely and I still have £35m to spend if needed. There is interest in Isaias Barroza at the moment, but I'm aware that my 21 man squad is already small.
Still no news on the stadium move, but I've had to upgrade the youth facilities again after they were downgraded due to technological advancements.
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Post by Nick on Jun 12, 2020 13:59:45 GMT
Leaving this here as something else to look back on.
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Post by Nick on Jun 12, 2020 18:19:04 GMT
Golden generation, my foot.
That's the biggest spread of personalities I've ever had:
Perfectionist x2 Fairly Professional x2
Balanced x1 Fairly Loyal x1 Spirited x1 Light Hearted x1
Mercenary x2 Fickle x1 Unambitious x3 Low Determination x2
I'd say we have four players with a good personality, four with what I consider a neutral personality and eight with pretty dreadful personalities. Luckily, the two with the highest potential have good personalities.
I have signed all but three of the players. The three with the least amount of potential are going to be cut adrift. Awful personalities and positions I don't particularly need. I won't show you all of them, that'd be overkill, but I'll go over the ones that look decent.
We do need a striker coming through and Cesar Ruiz gives us a good option. He doesn't have the potential I was hoping for, but it's my job to get the most out of him. He has a lot of attributes around the 9-12 mark that, if they can be improved upon by 2-3 points, will make him look like a much better player. He's also two-footed, which is a big bonus. I think I'm right in saying that Gabriel Rey is the first Perfectionist youth player that has more than 1* potential. On first glance, I wasn't too sure about him, but he's actually half decent. He's good physically, but needs to work on his jumping and also get himself in the gym to improve his strength because at the moment he's being pushed off the ball by his little sister. I like his bravery, determination, team work and work rate which are notoriously difficult to improve. He can also tackle and he's not terrible at marking or heading.
Augusto Biassotti and Gustavo Desio are the new squad Mercenaries which is a bit of a shame as both of them look okay.
Enrique Rosas and Federico Cutrin make up the other 'good personality' players but, if I'm honest, I wouldn't have looked twice at Cutrin if his personality wasn't what it was.
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Post by ttgb on Jun 12, 2020 18:55:47 GMT
HOw do you get your youth players in a view that shows their personality?
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Post by Nick on Jun 12, 2020 19:08:31 GMT
HOw do you get your youth players in a view that shows their personality? If you go into Development Centre > Youth Candidates on the day they come through, you can customise the view like you would do with your squad/staff screens.
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