World Cup 2026 #FM19 - The end for Chepiga?..

October 14, 2019

Ruslan watched on as Anzhi succumbed to another defeat and finished the campaign a lowly 6th, their lowest finish since Ruslan's second season in charge. Manager Mauricio Pellegrino wouldn’t last the night, Chepiga knew that much. This wasn’t, however, his concern, he was in attendance as Russian National manager. The “United” World Cup 2026, was just around the corner, and Ruslan knew only full well what failure would mean. He was being followed by at least two operatives, one male, and one female, as was the custom these days. They tried hard to go unnoticed but they were easily spotted, they’d clearly read the manual that Chepiga helped edit; he was onto them.

Qualification

Qualification had been a success finishing second behind the Czech Republic. At this juncture, I should point out that as an experiment I am only using the tactical presents provided by SI. I also selected the formation the game suggests to use with the particular playing style, and I left the roles and duties as the game provides them. So look away now if you have a problem with wing-backs on automatic duty. When selecting my squad I used the player search screen and searched by the attributes the game deems important for each role I use. I decided to keep things simple and selected three preset tactics that I would use depending upon the quality of opposition.

Gegenpress
Fluid counter attack
Direct counter attack

This worked fairly well in qualifying where we played with a Gegenpress against Belarus, Faroe Islands and Bosnia. We switched to a fluid counter-attack in the two games against the Czech Republic.

In-game I also decided to implement all of my assistant managers suggestions, just to see what would happen, no more “we are being seriously over-run in midfield” here.

The draw for the World Cup took place a few months before the tournament. Ruslan was in attendance even though he knew most of it beforehand. He knew the Kremlin had ensured he would meet the USA in the group stages. Not only did Moscow expect Chepiga to lift the trophy, but they also wanted their biggest rival humiliated on home soil. South Africa would play the role of whipping boys.

Group Stage

Russia 1 v 1 South Africa Sunday 15th June 2026 @ MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. Att. 82,566

The MetLife stadium provided a great backdrop for Russia's opening game in WC 2026.

South Africa had already been soundly beaten by the USA 3-0 in their opening match, a comfortable win was expected for Russia. Chepiga decided to use the Gegenpress tactic. Atlético Madrid defensive midfielder, Ivan Golovin, normally deployed in a playmaking role in midfield, was moved to centre-back as a ball-playing defender. Chepiga also utilised out and out strikers as inside forwards. Pre-game trusted assistant, and former Anzhi captain, Igor Chaykovskiy suggested tackling Sevilla centre-midfielder, Mokeana, hard. Given his bravery attribute of 9 and his player trait of 'dictates tempo', this approach seemed reasonable. South Africa lined up in a very deep, and defensive looking, 4-2-1-2-1.

The game kicked off and almost immediately Russia was on top. Waves of attacks flowed towards the South African goal. After six minutes Chaykovskiy suggested telling the players to pass the ball shorter, which Chepiga did. By the 40th minute Russia had taken 11 shots with 5 of them on target, South Africa had yet to test PSG no.1 Denis Miranchuk, in the Russian goal. That was to change on 43 minutes, a period of possession by South Africa sets, Russian born traitor, Grigory Grishin free, he crosses to the far post where Aubriy Modiba heads South Africa into a shock lead.

Chepiga read the riot act at half time. The play had been too congested and slow. However, nothing much changed in the second half. Russia could easily get to the edge of South Africa's box but were unable to penetrate the defence. With defeat looking inevitable Russia got a corner on 89 minutes. Striker Fedor Chalov pounced on a rebounded shot to fire in an equaliser, the relief was clear for all to see. The game finished 1-1, and while this wasn't satisfactory, it meant a draw against the USA in four days time would be enough to see Russia through.

Russia 2 v 0 U.S.A. Friday 19th June 2026 @ BMO Field, Toronto. Att. 34,825

BMO Field Toronto, Canada. A strange choice for a game featuring the USA.

Russia would top the group with a win against, the already qualified, U.S.A. Winning the group should also have the added bonus of avoiding Argentina in the second round.

Supreme Presidential Patriot Trump was in attendance, Ruslan expected the USA to attack, given his presence, anything less would be seen as cowardly. So he decided to employ the fluid counter-attack strategy. This meant some personnel changes were required, a few players were also in poor condition after 90 minutes of pressing against South Africa just four days prior. The powerful centre-back, Rodrigo Becão (a player Chepiga had personally help naturalise from Brazil), came in at centre-back for Eduard Löwen, who had picked up a small knock. Alexandr Golovin moved from central midfield to Inside forward on the left, and wonderkid winger Stanislav Osipov came in as a genuine right-winger. Anton Pozdnyakov replaced goalscorer Fedor Chalov upfront, as an advanced forward. Alexey Miranchuk came in to win his 99th cap as a roaming playmaker, a role I have come to appreciate as FM19 winds down.

As expected the USA lined up in an attacking 4-2-3-1, Ruslan was confident he could exploit the space left in behind their defence. When the game started it was a fairly cagey affair with neither side really committing men forward in any great number. After 17 minutes assistant Chaykovskiy suggested working the ball into the box as we were shooting from too far out. Then after 29 minutes he became concerned with Hyndman's ability on the ball and suggested we close him down all the time.

When the breakthrough actually came it was rather innocuous. A long throw caused chaos in the American box and finally, the ball fell at the feet of the box to box midfielder, and Russian captain, Roman Zobnin, who stabbed the ball home from a few yards out. Now the USA really would have to attack, playing straight into Ruslan's plan. The USA, in the end, couldn't muster a single shot on target, whilst Russia had three clear cut chances on the counter-attack. Despite this, the game wasn't safe until the 85th minute when Spartak wonderkid, Stanislav Osipov, fired a fantastic volley into the top corner of the American net. It was a thing of beauty from the 18-year-old.

This truly was, a fantastic result, the USA was humbled. Chepiga was overjoyed, topping the group would lead to a fairly simple path through the knockout stages; avoiding one of the favourites Argentina.

Or so he thought!

So it was to be Argentina, an Argentina containing, Ed Wilson's Paulo Dybala, who had ripped his Anzhi side apart back in season 7.

Second Round

Russia 2 v 2 Argentina Tuesday 23rd June, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey Att. 82,566

Chepiga pondered moving to the direct counter-attack system he had successfully used against Brazil in a friendly, but the previous game had gone so well, he kept faith with the fluid system. Ivan Golovin moved from centre-back to defensive midfield, as PSG youngster, Vladimir Konkin, was feeling the pace of three games in a week. This allowed Eduard Löwen to come back in at centre-back to win his 13th cap, all of them under Chepiga. Alexey Miranchuk, now playing in China, retained his place in midfield, to win his 100th cap. Assistant Chaykovskiy, basically wanted Russia to tackle most of the Argentinian players hard, Ruslan concurred, this might get ugly he thought. Yes, the uglier the better. Argentina lined up in an attacking 4-2-3-1 and they were impressive, spearheaded by PSG's elite striker Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Joaquín Correa, and FM favourite, Christian Pavón. He wasn't altogether hopeful of keeping them out.

The game was, to be frank, awful for 90 minutes. Virtually nothing happened, I even checked the highlights mode in case it had been accidentally changed. Things finally came to life during extra time. First, after 97 minutes, Christian Pavón found Lautaro Martinez with a deep cross which the PSG striker fired home on the half volley.

On the stroke of half-time, in extra time, Russia got a wide free-kick. Stanislav Osipov found centre-back, Eduard Löwen, who headed home an equaliser. On 112 minutes, it was Russia who was hit on the counter-attack, with Martinez starting the move in his own half before finishing it in style a few seconds later in Russia's box. As the clock ticked round to 115 minutes, Chepiga moved to his more attacking Gegenpress tactic. It was this high press that ultimately leads to Russia winning the ball back in the Argentinian half and being able to attack straight at the heart of their defence. Substitute box to box midfielder, and Anzhi old boy, Ayaz Guliev, finishes the move emphatically with one minute remaining. So, 2-2 it finished and penalties would have to decide the winner.

The scores were 3-3 after four penalties each. Ángel Correa stepped up for Argentina and Ruslan looked to the sky, he wasn't religious but he prayed anyway, let him miss.

He scored! Fuck, thought Chepiga. It was down to Brazilian centre-back Rodrigo Becão. Chepiga had already been criticised by some in the Kremlin for selecting the first-ever, non-Russian, black player to play internationally for the Reds. It was a risk, but he convinced the home affairs department it was the right thing to do.

He knew from the cheers to his left he had missed. Shit, shit, shit! Russia was out in the second round. Ruslan was unsure who he could blame, he knew if you couldn't pin the blame on someone, or something, it would be pinned on you.

Before the players had even left the field, Chepiga was ushered by two men into a room in the depths of the resplendent stadium. There, whilst the Argentine crowd roared in celebration in the stands above him, he expected to be beaten, shot perhaps. After a couple of hours, the crowd gwas gone the stadium eerily silent, he could hear footsteps approaching, these weren’t a soldier's steps, these steps were far too short and deliberate, this must be an official approaching. His fate was sealed now, just how bad it was going to be, he could not tell.

A small man entered and placed his spectacles carefully on his nose. He peered at Chepiga, his expression a mix of pity and disdain. Ruslan recognised him, but his face was nameless, this was not a friendly face. He began reading from a cigarette stained page he was holding.

"Ruslan Alexeyevich Chepiga, Superior agent of the Russian federal security service and liberator of the African world. Born May 1971 in Kaspiysk, Dagestan. By the power vested in me by the international affairs committee, I hearby…"

He tossed the page aside and walked deliberately, almost menacingly, towards Chepiga.

"I can do anything I want with you Chepiga." He sneered.

"If I am to be shot then get on with it, I have no desire to listen to you honouring yourself." Chepiga spluttered in retort.

"No-one is getting shot today Chepiga, the whole world saw you out there, it would be poor statecraft to execute you now. You will become an unperson, just another deserter working in the labour camps of the Colonies."

Chepiga secretly yearned for the bullet, the colonies were a fate worse than death, he knew this, as he helped create them. They reckoned you could survive no more than three years cleaning up that mess.

"That performance will not be accepted by the state, it will not be discussed in the press - it never happened. You will be allowed to live, keep your name even, but you will have no authority, no real duties, no friends. Men will not talk to you, nobody will listen to you. Other men, lesser men, will receive credit for the things you have done. Your legacy is now their legacy, and you will live to see it." This agent seemed to take joy at Chepiga's downfall.

"And if I refuse?" asked Chepiga, defiance in his voice.

"Why worry about something that isn't going to happen, when the bullet enters your skull will your refusal matter then?" Came the reply.

Chepiga decided he was right, it was better to be a live dog than a dead lion. Chepiga stood up wearily, put his hands behind his head. "What colony am I to be sent to?"

"Colony 1: Nuclear City 9"

Chepiga knew Nuclear City 9 was the codename for Pripyat, Ukraine. It was home to the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, to the outside world it was better known as, Chernobyl.

Introducing Ruslan Chepiga - My #FM19 Manager

November 9, 2018

It wasn't meant to be like this. Ruslan Chepiga walked through the dusty streets of Kaspiysk, it was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Just five years ago promises were made to turn his beloved Anzhi into a footballing powerhouse. Now all that is left is a shell of the club he loved as a boy, and it is his mission to revive this dream.

Ruslan was born 5 April 1979 in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains, to fiercely loyal Russian parents. They believed in Communism, they believed in the strength of the Soviet Union. His parents even had a mirror in the hallway with an image of Stalin embedded in it. Whenever he misbehaved as a boy his father would point to it and remind him, "Big Brother is watching". He hoped to inherit that mirror one day.

His father worked on the nearby secret naval base in Kaspiysk. His mother stayed at home and worked the small plot of land they had around their medium-sized state provided house. It was a tough life, they didn't have much, but what they had they earned the hard way. Times were not always peaceful growing up and conflict was never too far away. The Russian army had moved on Chechnya a number of times which lead to reprisals on ethnic Russians in the surrounding area. Local Russians lived in fear that a war in Chechnya may trigger similar revolutions in Dagestan that would be almost impossible to quell. It was bad enough that Dagestan already had some autonomy from Russia the prospect of further divergence from the federal government was something ethnic Russians would not stomach.

Ruslan's Grandmother (third from the left) working during WWII

Ruslan's early life was spent being prepared for a military life. His grandfather fought in the Red Army during World War II, while his grandmother was posted to the Ural mountains to make ammunition. His father worked his entire life in the secret Submarine facility on the coast of the Caspian Sea. The military was in his blood and he knew it, he couldn't avoid it, nor was he sure he wanted to.

His father was an incredibly tough man. He had huge, calloused, hands that had certainly seen plenty of hard work. It was clear that emotions and feelings were not high priorities in his mind. Indeed, the only time he saw his father cry was at the news of the breakup of the Soviet Union.

"Gorbachev has been fucked in the ass by Bush he cried, we've all been fucked in the ass!" I fuck the Bush son, no Bush fucks me!", he roared.

Ruslan remembers his father's rage lasting many weeks and was sure his mother felt the full force of it too.

One shining light during all this darkness was the arrival of the Eagles, Anzhi Makhachkala who set up in the area in 1991. On match days a young Ruslan could be found completing laps of the Anji-Arena looking for a way in. He had zero money and zero chance of scaling the security barriers, although he searched every nook and cranny nevertheless.

One cold winter afternoon, Spartak Moscow were in town, he couldn't find a way in and was close to giving up when a small clean-shaven man with odd spectacles approached him and offered to lift him over the turnstile. They watched the game together, standing for the full 90 minutes, discussing tactics and football identity. Ruslan remembers the rush forward when Anzhi scored, the rhythm of the drums reverberating in the pit of his stomach was intoxicating. Once the final whistle sounded the older man introduced himself as Lous Sutter, chief scout of five-time Swiss champions and two-time Europa League semi-finalists, FC Vaduz. The young Russian's knowledge of the game had impressed Sutter and he invited him for a trial in Liechtenstein.

He was showing considerable promise as a footballer and after a couple of trials, Vaduz wasted no time signing the youngster to a pre-contract. Ruslan knew he couldn't say no to Vaduz, despite having to leave the family home. Pension reforms meant his father had to continue working. He was frailer now, he stooped when he walked, Ruslan hoped to earn enough money to allow his father to retire.

Although his time with Vaduz would turn out to be brief it had a lasting effect on him. Club chairman Karlo Schelling saw something in the clearly intelligent young Russian and when an ACL injury kept Ruslan out of action for 18 months Schelling decided to take him under his wing. Together they would meet for coffee in the town square in Vaduz discussing anything and everything. They'd travel the length and breadth of Switzerland talking tactics late into the night. It was around this time Ruslan grew to love classical music (Andrei Volkonsky, his particular favourite) and architecture. He especially enjoyed cathedrals and churches, he hoped one day to visit Salisbury Cathedral and photograph its world-famous 123m spire.

Although he enjoyed the mental sparring between them there were a few things about Schelling that troubled Ruslan. Schelling's hands were soft, his nails manicured. His tanned face was supple, Ruslan had even noticed him using a moisturiser mist on his face. Ruslan wasn't really sure Schelling was even a man. How could a real man be so rich with such delicate hands that had clearly seen no work?

One night, over some Eastern European Beer, he asked Schelling how he made his money. Schelling explained he owned an investment and hedge fund company. A lengthy explanation followed regarding blockchains and futures but as far as Ruslan could tell he made nothing, he sold nothing, yet his fortune grew. This didn't sit well with Ruslan, in fact, it sounded to him at least, a bit like Russia before the Workers Revolution of 1917, and he did not like it one bit.

One afternoon, as was often the case, Schelling called Ruslan to his office. Ruslan had recently returned to light training and was hopeful of a return to the first team soon, still only 20 he had plenty of time to fulfil his immense potential. Ruslan had prepared a thesis on a new 4231 Deep he'd been working on and was looking forward to discussing it. However, upon entering the room Ruslan could sense a different atmosphere, he wasn't offered a cigar, and the new Director of Football, Alexis Howald was there.

"We have decided not to renew your contract son, you'll be leaving at the end of the season", dumbfounded he felt a rage gather inside. A rage he'd never felt before.

"Where will I go? What about our friendship?"

"This isn't personal kid, it's business. You don't justify the wages anymore.We can still be friends"

Ruslan stormed out of the plush office and left Vaduz that very evening. He had just experienced Capitalism in action and it was clear to him it led to laziness, dishonesty and the exploitation of the downtrodden. Communism, on the other hand, it seemed to him, works for the many; not the few. Ruslan knew he had to return to Russia. At that moment, full of rage, he made the decision he would make it his life's work to further the Russian and Communist cause across the globe. Football was just a game.

Upon returning to his native Russia, Ruslan immediately signed up to the military. He was overwhelmed with hatred, he knew it needed an outlet. He took various tests and unsurprisingly, attained a record high intelligence score. This score, coupled with a now weakened knee, meant Ruslan would not be serving in the regular Army; he was sent straight to the Federal Security Service.

Fifteen years have passed since Ruslan joined the FSB. The Russian President decided a change in foreign policy was needed. It was now his belief that the best way to gain control of land in today's society was still to control its people, but not through oppression, but by controlling their identity and belief system.

"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas." Joseph Stalin.

Football was seen as the conduit through which this could be achieved. Ruslan was, by now, the FSB's top agent after serving undercover in Crimea, Switzerland, and the UK. He was hand-picked to manage his hometown club Anzhi with the sole mission of turning them into a footballing powerhouse. Using only players from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc, the plan was to spread Russian values and modern communism across the globe.

Players were to be radicalised in the clubs academy and first team before being sold onto western countries. Here they would work undercover spreading their ideology and propaganda, the aim was to incite social unrest wherever they went. Selling these players at a premium would also rob western economies of many millions of dollars and further line the pockets of the Russian state.

This blog will follow Ruslan's journey to make Anzhi a global superpower, spreading Russian influence as he goes.

Comrade! If you have made it this far thanks very much for reading. You can find me on twitter here and I will also be providing sporadic updates about the save and various other things on my slack channel #fmeadster.

Over and out FMEadster!

My #FM19 Exposé

October 25, 2018

Hello and welcome to my #FM19 save exposé. While this reveal isn't as slick or as early as Dan Gear's, I hope you find it interesting all the same.

It should be apparent that I intend to manage Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia. I would like to thank a good friend for help with the featured image but he/she wishes to remain anonymous.

Why Anzhi Makhachkala?

So of all the teams in Russia, why chose Anzhi Makhachkala? I should start by saying my absolute favourite position in football is the full-back. They can be used in so many ways and you can generally determine a side's attitude toward a game solely by watching how their full-backs attack and defend. Personally, I love nothing more than watching a team in possession work an opening for a marauding full-back. Think Marcelo at Real Madrid, or Dani Alves during his time at Barcelona. I've also been fortunate enough, in recent times, to see Joshua Kimmich live and he is one beautiful footballer.

With all this in mind, one of my all-time favourite players is Roberto Carlos.

I was fifteen or sixteen when he hit that famous free-kick against France. I used to fancy myself as a set piece expert (I had to be as I couldn't do much else) and I remember thumping balls all over the school playing fields trying to get the same action on the ball as he did that night.

Like most football supporters, in the UK at least, I had never heard of Anzhi Makhachkala until they were taken over by local oil tycoon Suleyman Kerimov in 2011. My interest in their story was piqued even further when they signed my man Roberto. He was one of the first of the big name signings promised by the new owner.

I even managed to see Anzhi play live against Newcastle United in a Europa League tie in 2013, unfortunately, Roberto Carlos had already left the club. Newcastle won the game 1-0 in the last minute, I remember being so cold and glad the game was over as extra time was looming at 0-0. Interestingly, also in attendance, that night was legendary Al Ahli manager and Club World Cup winner Diego Mendoza.

As we know the money soon disappeared and despite promises to turn to the club into a superpower, by the end of 2013 Mr Kerimov had significantly scaled back spending, and a fire sale of stars began. The club was eventually sold in 2016.

Unsurprisingly harder times on the field have hit the club with a record-breaking low number of points in 2014 leading to relegation. Although an immediate promotion followed, the club was relegated again in the 2017/18 season. Fortunately for Anzhi, they were handed a reprieve due to the withdrawal of FC Amkar Perm from the Russian league.

Normally I like to start a division or two below the top tier, however, given their recent travails I see Anzhi as a decent challenge for this FM cycle.

Why Russia in the first place?

Around August time each year, I begin to think about my next FM save. This summer two things happened that brought Russia to the fore. Firstly, I enjoyed the World Cup immensely, it already seems so long ago. It was fantastic, the stadia and host cities all held a significant amount of intrigue and wonder to me. Most of the games were exciting, add in the use of VAR, plus all the positive hype around England, it made for a memorable tournament; despite any early trepidation about the hosts.

Secondly, I had a long conversation with my sister one evening, while quaffing a few beers, about how countries come to be. More specifically why some, such as Russia, seem to become so extraordinarily vast when many other countries around them are so comparatively small. As a result, my sister bought me "Prisoners of Geography" by Tim Marshall for my birthday. The very first chapter discusses the Geo-political reasons behind Russian foreign policy and some of the reasons why it grew so massive. The chapter also offered an explanation of why Russia is set on controlling lands in Eastern Europe.

Essentially, if you are interested, the only area of Russia not protected by Geographical features such as mountains or harsh climates is its western front. Any invading army can simply march to Moscow unhindered across relatively flat plains albeit, as Hitler found out, with very long supply line issues. It may seem as though nobody would want to invade Russia on this front but that is not how history sees it. The Poles invaded in 1605, followed by the Swedes in 1708. Napoleon had a go in 1812 as did the Germans twice in 1914 and 1941. If you include the Crimean War of 1853-1856 Russia has been defending or fighting on this front, on average, once every thirty-three years.

(L-R) Churchill, Eisenhower and Stalin at the Yalta Conference, Feb 1945

Upon winning the Second World War Joesph Stalin set out to ensure the Soviet Union would never again allow an army to march on Moscow unopposed. He was determined at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, to ensure the Soviet Union had at least de-facto, if not full, control over the lands of Eastern Europe. This strategy created a 'buffer zone' of pro-Soviet states around the plains that led to Moscow. In the event of war these states would be Russia's first line of defence, but ultimately could be sacrificed if necessary.

Map showing the division of Europe East to West after WWII. Credit www.shutterstock.com

Slowly, but surely, a narrative for a #FM19 save began to coalesce in my mind. What if Russia again tried to control the citizens within these lands, not through outdated military might, but through a dominating footballing and social ideology?

Aims for the Save

I want to follow-up on this in a little more detail in my next post when I introduce my manager for this FM cycle.

For now, in general terms, I aim to secure the club in the Russian Premier League using only players from the former Soviet states and the Eastern bloc (+other Comecon countries may be used). I will achieve this using a "planned", sustainable, financial model. Once stature and finances are secure the aim shall be for Anzhi to become one of the leading teams in Russia. Achieving European qualification will allow their Pro-Russian social and footballing ideology to infiltrate westwards into Europe once more. Ultimately, these ideals shall spread across the entire continent before enveloping the rest of the western world and beyond; Football and Anzhi shall be Russia's trojan horse to world domination.

It is clear that the hyper-capitalism that permeates modern football has failed Anzhi Makhachkala. It is time for a new mindset, a new world order, it is time for the Workers of the World to Unite!

If you made it this far thanks very much for reading. By now I will have set up a Slack channel of my own (#fmeadster) where I will be discussing the save in more depth as I go along. Feel free to join me. I'm happy to discuss most of life's important subjects, beer, politics, real-life football, and of course Football Manager!

Over and out FMEadster