Football Manager — Glory to Sporting (Part 3)
Warning: This is one of those nerdy, overly serious Football Manager stories. Something, depending on your sensibilities, you’ll either love, or hate. Parts One and Two here.
First things first, some correspondence. So far my Football Manager story has received much interest and praise, so thank you to all who have read and shared these articles. Within the feedback I’ve also had a few questions — “Where did you find your coaches?”, “Do you use affiliated clubs to loan out youth players?” — the answer to the second question, by the way, is yes, but not before cancelling nearly all the existing links I had in place and looking for clubs in that goldilocks zone of playing at a high enough level that my young loanees would feel the benefit, but also not too good which would mean they’d simply sit on the bench all season.
I also had this comment from Melbourne-based football hipster Daniel Daly:
He very much has a point. In fact, of the 11 signings I’ve made, eight are Brazilian, something the in-game press are all too eager to point out. If any of you are familiar with Alex Stewart’s ‘FM meets Moneyball’ series — and if you’re not, you should be — you’ll know that, as per the book Soccernomics, some nationalities, including Brazilians, are overvalued, meaning the buying club ends up paying more than they should for any talent.
Wether I am being ripped off remains to be seen, but the reason(s) why I have ended up buying Brazilian is based on some sort of theory and the result of circumstance. As previously pointed out, the Portuguese league is the 8th ranked in Europe, behind the ‘big 4’, then Ligue 1 and the Russian and Ukrainian top divisions respectively. Part of the reason for this is the dominance of the ‘big 3’ — Sporting, Porto and Benfica, though Sporting have been so dormant this century it can be argued its a Duopoly between the latter two — in fact, since the turn of the 21st century, the top 3 finishes have only featured a team outside the ‘big 3’ on five separate occasions.
This means that nearly all the money — prize money, TV money, gate receipts, etc — in the league is pooled among three teams, which means that very few of the remaining teams in the league have the fiscal ability to produce top class talent. This is borne out in real life and in the game with the recent poor performance of the Portuguese national team.
The end result of this is that I’m going to have to rely on my own youth production system to produce Portuguese talent, something I am committed to, but that takes time. So, in the meantime, I’m looking at young, relatively cheap talent from countries where the players will fit best into the team and assimilate easily and a big part of that process is the language barrier, so buying Brazilian makes some kind of sense.
With the previous season seeing some progress of sorts, it feels, in part, like theres a momentum building within the squad. The aim for my third season should really be a title win, whilst, in Europe I’d settle for more of the same — i.e reach the knockout round — I really don’t think my team is strong enough for anything more than that, and perhaps, with an actual trophy to lift in the form of the Primeira Liga trophy it might just transform my team of potential into a team of winners.
Season 3 (2016/17)
Throughout the summer break I direct five of my 14 scouts to look specifically at answers to my obvious issue at central defence. Winston Reid is a top-tier Primeira Liga defender, but there was a reason Marcao was a free-agent, to the point where I was more willing to play 19-year-old Tobias Figueiredo along side the New Zealand captain.
Despite an intensive search, finding maybe half a dozen prospects, they are either too expensive (Marquinhos), don’t want to leave (Marquinhos) or are simply at a level of club that deigns a loan move to Portugal not beneficial (fucking Marquinhos).
Hamstrung by a lack of options, I have little option myself apart from sticking with what I have and looking at a potential tactical tweak to make the team concede less goals.
Defence aside I actually have a quiet confidence that this team will come good, so in terms of transfer activity I make only one purchase — Sergio Díaz, a Paruguyan teenager from Cerro Porteño for £650,000, whose left-footed tendencies will hopefully add something an already healthy looking forward line.
In fact, the most important signings I make are internal ones. The summer break coincides with a break in terms of contracts that were in place at the club when I joined. This means I’m able to shed a massive 18 players in free transfers, slim-lining the squad and freeing up wages for more important matters.
Those important matters come in the form of new contracts for João Mário, Jonathan Silva and William Carvalho, the latter having his head turned by ‘major’ interest from Marseille — I convince him that its best he stays and reward his acquiesce by doubling his money. These contracts are important, because if I am to achieve continental glory any time soon, the spine of talent I already have in place will be key.
Sporting only lose one game in pre-season against a Chelsea managed by a Jose Mourinho who “feels we could become friends”, which is nice. That pre-season form is carried into the league, where we win the first five, conceding only twice; before doing exactly what we’d initally set out not to do — lose at home, against Académica, the same team who ended our title chances last season, an omen?
Between that loss in mid-September and the middle of December, of the 15 games played Spoerting only win six, the only highlight being a 4–0 victory over Leverkusen in the Champions League which secures the knock-out rounds; whilst in the league Porto and Benfica win all their games and race ahead and “surprise package” Belenenses throw a real spanner in the works by taking third spot as christmas passes.
I always predicted that defence would be an issue, especially as player rotation comes into effect. I’m blessed at left-back with Silva and Jefferson, and similarly at right-back with Cédric and Geraldes; in addition, my second bonafide could-be-a-superstar youth product, Nuno Valente puts in some impressive performances in the youth team and earns a loan move to Grasshopper. But central defence is where the issue lies, and if anything happens to Winston Reid I am, not to put a too finer point on it, fucked.
I look into loan options, but the January transfer window ghosts by with little to nothing actually happening before the final day. I consign myself to the defence I have and look at it from a different angle, perhaps a tactical change will bring the solidity I need — specifically, if I flood the midfield, moving back to a 4–5–1 and ignore that the obvious strength of my squad lies in attack, then perhaps I can concede less without compromising goal-scoring potential.
I take part in transfer deadline day, in hope rather than expectation that something might turn up. Indeed, something quite unexpected happens — my potential BFF, Jose Mourinho makes a bid for the £8.5 million valued Jonathan Silva of £20 million, an overpayment that means I don’t, for once, click the reject button instantly. My curiosity piqued, I check my scouting and see a Brazilian left-back by the name of Caju, who is younger and has higher ratings than Silva, sitting at Santos just waiting to be signed. So, with an insurance of kind in place, I decide to test my new friendship with the Chelsea manager and quote a price of £29 million. Surely not?
No, but Chelsea do come back, with an offer of £26.5 million, with 18 of that upfront. Its just too good to turn down, despite January being the worst time to shake up your first team. I sign Caju for £8 million, meaning I’ve made approximately £20m ‘profit’, £1.8m of which I use to sign Salustiano, a(nother) Brazilian defender who is very much an upgrade on Marcao, from Goías.
Despite my healthy looking back-balance, January’s form is as sick as a small hospital. I draw at home against Benfica, but then lose twice, including a thrashing at the hands of Porto; before another home loss, this time against minnows Beira-Mar, basically scuppers any chance of the league title. In all, the experiment of 4–5–1 has been a disaster. A new tactic is needed, and quickly, lest 3rd place — and the Champions League money that brings — is lost, and leaves my project in tatters.
Full disclosure — I am not a tactitian. My management stye is very much in the suit-wearing administrator, but until Football Chairman 2018 is finally released I’m left with the headache of solving this on-pitch issue and save my season.
I attempt to look at the issue from a pragmatic, economist point of view — what are my weaknesses, what are my options. The obvious problem is defence — I’m conceding too many goals, and by proxy too many games. The solution(s) seem far less straightforward. Despite the best efforts of my scouts I’ve been unable to find a top-class defender, and to be honest, seeing as the transfer window is closed, the issue is moot. My change to 4–5–1 saw me lose games and score less overall. The answer, if possible, is to score more.
Looking at my squad I have a blessing of attacking riches — Douglas Coutinho, Malcom, Islam Slimani, Pedro Rocha, Sergio Díaz are all stikers who bring different qualities; whilst Matheus Pereira and Ryan Gauld have the youth and potential to be converted into wide shadow strikers if needs be. The answer is 4–3–3.
The theory goes thus: By moving both my defenders deep and into a covering pattern this should reduce exposure, with the defence bolstered by moving my central midfielder — probably William Carvalho or Adrien — into a half-back/deep-lying playmaker role. This should allow my wing-backs to be set free to make scampering, overlaps. My two remaining midfielders will act as standard midfielders, their respective mentalities reacting to the current match situation.
In attack, my wealth of options will allow me to react to the opposition — in a standard game I aim to play Coutinho upfront, flanked by Malcom and Pedro Rocha as second strikers. Sergio Díaz, while still young, can add an injection of pace from the bench when needed; Islam Slimani, who posesses the best strength and heading stats will be deployed in games where the opposition are better defensively or more likely to park the bus.
The aim, if it isn’t clear, is to simply overwhelm the opposition, with high pressing, quick passing and sheer numbers in attack.
Theres no better time to test-drive this new framework than in a crucial game at home against Belenenses, who rather annoyingly occupy 3rd place. Sporting win 3–0, restricting their opponents to only two shots on goal, and leapfrog back into 3rd place.
The tactic contributes to an entire change in our form. In the subsequent ten league games, Sporting pick up 28 points, scoring 34 goals and only concede nine. One minor fly in the oinment is, despite besting Shalke 3–1 at home in the Champions League first round knock-out I get tanked in the return fixture 5–1, reinforcing what we all know — without a defensive revamp my aim of winning the Champions League will remain a pipe dream.
The league looks much more rosier, as Sporting transform into an attacking juggernaut, racking up a series of high-scoring wins. Unfortunately, as with previous season, my early season form has left me relying on league leaders Porto and 2nd placed Benfica to both suffer catastrophes, which doesn’t happen, despite Sporting beating both comprehensively in the 2nd and 3rd last fixtures of the season.
I end the season 3rd, relieved to have secured Champions League football, albeit having to negotiate through the qualifying rounds next August; but also more than dissapointed in a regression in league performance.
Elsewhere
Louis Van Gaal, in his first season as Arsenal manager, breaks Liverpool’s hearts by pipping the Premier League by a singe point. Its not all tears for the reds, however, as Brendan Rodgers engineers as second UEFA Champions League in as many seasons, beating Real Madrid in Berlin. More managerial strife at Camp Nou where Unai Emery is dismissed after little over a year and replaced by Shalke manager Roberto Di Matteo.
Conclusions
It’d be easy to wallow in a pool of dissapointment after this season — I had aimed to make this a breakthrough year, with hopefully a League championship in the cabinet and more progress in Europe. None of which happened.
That said, theres a number of positives to be found — I seem to have stumbled upon a tactic that not only fits with my squad, but turbocharges its sum talents.
In addition, nearly all of my players have benefitted from a top-class coaching set-up, increasing both stats and values. None more so than Pedro Rocha, who is now valued at £8 million and António Silva who is now rated as a ‘wonderkid’.
Next season? Three words: defence, defence, defence.
Team of the year
With only two seasons left in this project can I make the leap forward and get anywhere close to Champions League glory? Stay tuned for part four in the coming days.
