So… Denmark. Let’s get started, shall we?
First of all, a look at the Database set up I’ll be using for the save. It’s fairly large, not so much because I’m looking at moving around a lot, but more because I’d like the major European leagues to have a bit of variation and not have it all based on reputation, as can happen when leagues aren’t loaded. It also gives me a better chance of having better newgens from this area.
You’ll also see that I have Attribute Masking on. That’s not something I usually use if I’m honest, but as I’ll be setting up a scouting network I’ll be getting reports on any interesting players anyway, so final decisions won’t be made until I have these reports. I guess there could be some Deadline Day panics, but if Sir Alex can sign Bebe without watching him play, then I think I could be forgiven a few faux pas.
One last point about the database, I have added to the player count with the following settings.
Europe is fairly self-explanatory, it’s where we are, so I want to have as many players as I can have without making the game super slow (it’s already going to be fairly bad). Africa is one that I knew fairly early on I wanted to do something with. Scandinavia has a history of having a lot of African footballers, probably more so in Sweden, but Denmark has plenty of African imports in its history, mostly from Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa. If I can get a few gems from Africa, once I can extend my scouting range enough to actually get out there, then I’ll be very happy.
Manager Profile
This is the profile I’ve decided on for Mason Phillips, the manager of this save. I didn’t want my stats to be huge, but at the same time, the narrative I’ve come up with for Mason dictates the Professional Footballer playing experience. I compensated that slightly by only taking a Continental B Licence, one below the recommended, which is something I can increase over time. I also have a slight bias towards the Mental attributes, as I wanted a decent level across the board but also a high level of Player and Youngster knowledge, as this will stop the range on a player’s attribute from being too broad before they’re scouted.
Squad Assessment
Before we get into the Team Report, just a quick note on the Philosophies set by the board, which look like this.
I think if I could have picked three for the board to want from me, it would have been these. I haven’t got a tactical idea already in mind for Lyngby, that will come from having a look at the squad. (For context, I’m writing this as I play the opening day of this save, so as of this sentence I have no idea about the team.) What I do know though, is that I wanted a brand of football that was enjoyable to watch, whether that be mesmerizing possession football or exhilarating counter-attacking. The first two philosophies possibly take that decision away, but I could very easily have come to this same conclusion anyway. Besides, there are three tactics slots! The importance of the third philosophy is fairly obvious, as I’ve already made it clear that youth development will be a huge part of this save, but the board wanting it to happen also makes it something I’ll have to take very seriously.
A look at the first team squad shows that we have decent quality across all areas of the pitch, especially at right-back, central midfield and up front. One possible area of concern is at left-back, where the two options are of a similar level but not exceptional. 17-year-old Adam Sørensen looks like an incredible prospect though so we may roll with what we have there in order to give him the best chance to develop.
A look at the squad depth shows a very similar picture, we have good quality everywhere, but very few great players. We don’t have any money to improve the squad, in fact, we’re over our wage budget, so this season will be very much getting the best from what we have. One thing is very clear, we won’t be using an AMC often at all as we have zero cover there.
Applying this to a tactic
With such an even spread of cover and talent, we could make several different formations work. Having two really good strikers makes a partnership really appealing, but over the course of a season we’re going to need to rest players and we don’t have masses of options up front. So if and when we have to go one up top, what happens behind it? Three at the back and push the wing-backs on? Or a midfield three with wingers supporting the lone striker?
I think the best way to go about deciding is to have a look at the tactical presets, brand new for FM19, and rule out any styles of play we know we don’t want.
Immediately, I’m ruling out the following:
Gegenpress – As much as I like the idea of playing some ‘Heavy Metal’ football, I just don’t see the current squad being able to pull it off.
Route One – One of our board philosophies is to play possession football, which totally negates a Route One style.
Fluid/Direct Counter Attack – I’ve put these in together as they also go against the possession football philosophy, although I would consider a Fluid Counter system as a possible second formation, as I think some devastating attacking football can be created by soaking up pressure and allowing the front men to wreak havoc.
Catenaccio – As a team just relegated into this division I think the Catenaccio is far too defensive to suit our needs, as we’ll be the favourites for many of our games this season. It’s also the polar opposite to our attacking football board philosophy. I can see it having it’s place, but not right now.
Park the Bus – Similar to the Catenaccio, it’s a very structured and defensive setup, not suited at all for our needs this season. It may, however, be employed as a late game system, to shut up shop and seal a result.
So this leaves four tactical styles, three of them very heavily possession based, and an option to get the ball down the wings and attack with overlapping full-backs and tonnes of crosses.
I think I’m going to rule out the two variants of the Tiki-Taka for now. They’ll both offer what I want in terms of ball retention, but I think the pressing aspect is too much to ask of the players we currently have. Physically they are fairly average compared to the rest of the division, and asking that level of pressing from them is going to lead to mistakes, fatigue, and injuries, all things I’d like to avoid.
Option One – Control Possession
The first option we have is a fairly common one, a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 depending on how you look at it, with a focus on ball retention, patiently waiting for openings and using the wide players to support the striker. I have had a quick fiddle with the roles to suit our players but haven’t touched the team instructions, that will be worked on over pre-season. I like this system because it allows us to play on our terms, dominating the ball and dictating the tempo, whilst also having exciting attacking talent out wide creating chances for themselves, the lone striker, and the Mezzala.
Option Two – Control Possession (Didn’t we just do this one?)
The second option is the same style of play but in a different shape. The same applies again, player roles have been adjusted but the instructions haven’t. Three at the back gives me the option to push the wing-backs on, which is an appealing option as all of the options I have right now are very good going forward. This does leave us a man lighter in central midfield, hence the roles are more reserved, but as the Half Back from the first system naturally drops back into the defence, the change in midfield isn’t a huge concern.
Option Three – Wing Play
Four-Four-F######-Two! The classing wing-play formation, two banks of four, solid at the back but exciting going forward. We have the players to pull this off for the most part, although we don’t have a natural option for the left-wing. Mohammad is the most suited, but being naturally right-footed will hamper his ability to get to the byline and put crosses in for the strikers. I also worry about how the board would view this system, as it may be attacking but it isn’t based on keeping possession. I guess ultimately though, it’s a result business, so if this system achieves, we should be in the clear!
Plenty for me to think about, I’ll have a play with all three systems and tweak them over pre-season, hopefully having a system I’m truly happy with in place by the time the season starts.
There isn’t going to be a full introduction to the squad, players will be shown as and when it becomes relevant, but the next post will take a look at the brightest youth prospects that we have right off the bat, and what I think we can expect from them.
Thanks for reading.
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