Intro
My previous League Guide weaved its way around the intricacies of the various South American league systems in Football Manager 2021, but now itâs time for the fun stuff! Fernando @rocksendfm brings you the Club Guide: three sides from each out-of-the-box top league in Football Manager 2021 (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru & Uruguay). An easy, medium or hard challenge in each nation, meticulously researched outside of Football ManagerâŠsetting the scene for your upcoming FM adventure.
If you like this post, or think it will be useful to others, please exercise your right to share via the link at the bottom of this page. Thanks in advance for reading.
Argentina
Hard â Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata
(1) Background & Expectation
Whatâs worse than being the underdog side in a two-club town? Being the underdog side to an absolute giant of the sport. I donât need to remind usual readers of this blog of Estudiantes de La Plataâs place within the history of the Argentinian game and even world football, but things havenât gone all that well for their city rivals. El Lobo fans can be very proud of their undying loyalty, their magnificent stadium nicknamed El Bosque and their over-130-year-long history, but it all looks a bit pale when compared with Estudiantesâ four Copa Libertadores and six Primera DivisiĂłn titles. With just a single league title achieved in 1929 during the amateur era and no official international titles in their shelves, itâs not exactly a glorious past. Even outside of the historic view, things are tricky for El Lobo. Being practically doomed with relegation late last year, the board brought in a man for whom there is no such thing as an impossible job: Diego Maradona. Despite El Diegoâs motivational factor and some positive results, things looked bleak until the collapse of the Superliga and the COVID-19 crisis put a pause on football and possibly a stop on relegations for the season. However, the average points table ensures risks are still high; can you take Maradonaâs seat and lead Gimnasia to safety and a much longed-for professional league title?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 16th.
(3) Key Players: JosĂ© Paradela, Harrinson Mancilla, MatĂas Melluso.
(4) Young Talents: Ivo Mammini, TomĂĄs Muro.
Medium â Talleres Cba.
(1) Background & Expectation
More than a third of Argentinaâs population resides in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, but unlike what some porteños would have you believe, the rest of the country is not a deserted wasteland dotted with sparsely populated settlements. El Interior (the inlands) is a vibrant and highly diverse territory with big cities and strong identities. The City of CĂłrdoba, capital of the province of the same name, houses two of the biggest clubs outside of Buenos Aires, Belgrano de CĂłrdoba (of River Plateâs relegation fame and currently in the Second Division) and their hated rivals, Talleres de CĂłrdoba. Founded by the workers of the Ferrocarril Central de CĂłrdoba (CĂłrdoba Central Railway) in 1913, Talleresâ history is one of fervent fans and few successes. They came closest to winning the title in 1977 when after beating Racing, River and VĂ©lez amongst others to win their group, they lost the Play-Off finals vs. Independiente in a tense and incident-filled match. Now, after some years of instability, they have asserted themselves as a Primera DivisiĂłn side and look to build upon it. Regularly bringing over 35 thousand fans to the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium (which they had to rent as their ground couldnât fit them), they have a competitive squad and enough economic backing. Itâs gonna take some work, but can you build the first true big side from el Interior?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Play attacking football.
Play possession football.
Predicted to finish 10th.
(3) Key Players: Juan Cruz Komar, TomĂĄs Pochettino, Enzo DĂaz.
(4) Young Talents: JoaquĂn BlĂĄzquez, Augusto Schott, Ignacio Lago.
Easy â Racing Club
(1) Background & Expectation
Argentinian football might have been historically ruled by the Big Five, but for the last 25 years itâs all mostly been about the Boca-River duopoly. Add the fact that during said period two of South American footballâs most successful sides rose in Bianchiâs Boca Juniors and Gallardoâs River Plate (including the first ever SuperclĂĄsico Copa Libertadores final) and you can see why itâs looking like the others are being left behind. With Independiente in the midst of an institutional and economic crisis and San Lorenzo in a downwards spiral into mediocrity since their 2014 Libertadores success, Racing seems to be in the best position to break the stand-off between Argentinaâs two biggest clubs. The sale of MatĂas Zaracho is sure to make things harder for any prospective managers but the injection of over 5 million euros will provide solid backing, and with a great academy that has produced the likes of Lautaro MartĂnez, Rodrigo de Paul, Luciano Vietto, Diego Milito and many others, Racing is up to the challenge. Winners of 18 Primera DivisiĂłn titles (third behind Boca and River), they were also the first Argentine team to win the Copa Libertadores in 1967, going on to beat the Lisbon Lions in the 1967 Intercontinental Cup. Itâs time to take La Academia back to glory.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Play attacking football.
Predicted to finish 3rd.
(3) Key Players: Lisandro LĂłpez, BenjamĂn GarrĂ©, Leonardo Sigali.
(4) Young Talents: Carlos Alcaraz, ElĂas Machuca, Juan Castaño.
Brazil
Hard â Fortaleza
(1) Background & Expectation
When Brazilian football started to develop around the turn of the 20th century, the countryâs limited infrastructure and huge distances meant that clubs developed around the towns. They competed amongst themselves and built a power base on the local stage instead of nationwide, meaning the likes of Corinthians and Flamengo benefitted from richer economies and larger talent pools in big cities. However, football doesnât understand demographics, so all around the country clubs were drawing passionate fans in their regions, away from the draw of the big lights. Fortaleza is one such club. They have a huge following in what is now Brazilâs 5th largest town (though still a long way from the likes of SĂŁo Paulo and Rio), coming second in the average attendance charts for 2019, and beating much more renowned sides like Corinthians, SĂŁo Paulo, or Santos. Competitively theyâre also on the rise, returning to Serie A after a twelve-year span away from Brazilâs top league, and winning in 2019 the Copa do Nordeste, a regional competition for teams in the Brazilian northeast. The Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol season is a long a gruelling one, with double-match weeks more often than not and a constant power shift as clubs build and profit on talented sides like a conveyor belt of footballers; can you lead Fortaleza through this maze and finally put them on the map of Brazilian football on a national scale?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign players under the age of 23 for the first team.
Predicted to finish 19th.
(3) Key Players: PaulĂŁo, Juninho, Romarinho.
(4) Young Talents: Gustavo Coutinho, Luiz Enrique .
Medium â Botafogo
(1) Background & Expectation
What is the truest measure of greatness for a club? Is it their trophy cabinet? Is it the passion of their fans? Is it a combination of it all? Perhaps, but something has to be said about the place a club occupies within the footballing history of a nation. Botafogo might not be the most laureate, most followed or most impressive club in Brazil, but their history runs through the legacy of the Seleção, and that of Brazilian football. Founded in 1894 as a rowing club, a football division was set up in 1904 by the members of the team. They quickly became a dominant force in Rio de Janeiroâs league, gaining the nickname of O Glorioso, the glorious one. In those years they forged a rivalry with Fluminense that has become the oldest in Brazilian football, the 115-years-old ClĂĄssico VovĂŽ (Grandad Derby). However, it was when the 1960s rolled around that they became synonymous with the national team, with the likes of Nilton Santos, Didi, Garrincha, Zagallo, GĂ©rson and Jairzinho becoming the backbone of the Canarinha, and many others getting call-ups to make Botafogo the side with the most players called-up to a World Cup for Brazil. The start in 1968 of a 21-year barren spell that coincided with the beginning of Brazilâs first truly national league and the lack of international success has put them a couple of steps behind the likes Palmeiras and Flamengo and others. But with a legacy like theirs, itâs only a matter of time for Botafogo to rise again.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign high-reputation players.
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 14th.
(3) Key Players: JoĂŁo Paulo, Kanu, Keisuke Honda.
(4) Young Talents: Ănio, Rhuan, Lucas Barros.
Easy â Palmeiras
(1) Background & Expectation
Palmeiras is Brazilâs most successful domestic side, with fourteen national competitions. Founded in 1914 by Italian immigrants as Palestra ItĂĄlia, they changed their name in 1942 when then-President Getulio Vargas banned mention of the Axis countries, as Brazil had joined WW2 with the Allies. During the 1990s they built some of the best teams of that decade with the support of Italian food corporation Parmalat, but they got relegated when their sponsor left at the turn of the millennium. They recovered the following season, but after a long period of mediocrity the following decade, they were once again relegated in 2012. Since then, new benefactors have appeared in millionaire Club President Paulo Nobre and the record sponsorship of credit company Crefisa, making them one of the richest clubs in Brazil and adding two more leagues to their cabinets. However, on the international front things havenât been as good. Mocked by other Brazilian football fans with the phrase Palmeiras nao tem Mundial (Palmeiras arenât world champions) due to their lack of a Club World Cup title, their sole Libertadores win came in 1999, and after a semifinal loss in 2001, it took them seventeen years to return to that stage. Palmeiras has one of the highest budgets in the Brazilian Serie A, a talented squad with a mix of youth and experience and a brand new, forty-three-thousand-seater stadium in the Allianz Parque. Can you provide VerdĂŁo with some long-wanted international success?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign high-reputation players.
Predicted to finish 2nd.
(3) Key Players: Weverton, Ramires, Felipe Melo.
(4) Young Talents: Gabriel VerĂłn, Gabriel Menino, Patrick de Paula.
Chile
Hard - Deportes Iquique
(1) Background & Expectation
The Club de Deportes Iquique was founded in the city of the same name in 1978, the result of the merger of two amateur clubs in the region. They gained promotion to the first division in their first season, where they remained until 1991. During that time they also beat Chilean giants Colo-Colo to win the 1980 Copa Chile, their first professional title. Despite that, the 1990s wouldn't be as successful, with them mainly yo-yo-ing between the first and second division. In 2002, with the club riddled with debts that threatened to become their doom, they were relegated to the third tier of Chilean football, an amateur league. The following year the club reform to compete in the league, and in 2006 they managed to get promoted back into the professional leagues; completing their return to the first division two years later and regaining their original name in 2010. Since then (despite some irregular seasons), they've managed to assert themselves in the top tier, even playing in the Copa Sudamericana on four occasions and debuting in the Copa Libertadores in 2013. Nonetheless, with an ageing squad and no plan in sight for a renovation, dark days could loom large once again for the Dragones Celestes, and it'll take a careful manager to steer them clear of their troubled past.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
No club vision.
Predicted to finish 17th.
(3) Key Players: Diego Orellana, SebastiĂĄn ZĂșñiga, Gustavo Lorenzetti.
(4) Young Talents: CĂ©sar Huanca, Johan Castillo.
Medium â Antofagasta
(1) Background & Expectation
Can you imagine the uproar if, after Arsenalâs promotion to the First Division in 1919, the FA had forced them to merge with Tottenham? Well, thatâs exactly what happened in 1965 when the Chilean football association asked soon to be promoted side UniĂłn Bellavista to merge with their local rivals Portuario Atacama. The clubs couldn't reach an agreement so the Mayor of the city had to intervene, with the result being the foundation the following year of the Club Deportes Antofagasta Portuario, which would later become Club de Deportes Antofagasta. Two years later, the club would get their promotion to the first division, beating San Luis de Quillota away from home in the second division playoffs in what would become known as "El Quillotazo", with thousands of Antofagasta fans watching from the stands and even hanging from nearby TV antennas. Since then, the club has largely yo-yo-ed between divisions, but recent years have been some of the most successful in their history. With a good sporting direction and developing a set of promising youngsters, in 2018 they managed to finish in the continental competition places, debuting in the Copa Sudamericana in 2019. Add to that the recent renovation of the Estadio Regional Calvo y Bascuñån and all the pieces are set for a side to challenge the big clubs in years to come.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
No club vision.
Predicted to finish 9th.
(3) Key Players: Tobias Figueroa, Eduard Bello, Gustavo Mencia.
(4) Young Talents: Marco Collao, Chriss Gutiérrez, Simón Gonzålez.
Easy â Universidad CatĂłlica
(1) Background & Expectation
Universidad CatĂłlica might be one of Chilean footballâs big three, but they have some catching up to do; with 14 Primera DivisiĂłn titles, they lag 18 behind Chileâs most successful side, Colo-Colo, and even 4 behind their ClĂĄsico Universitario derby rivals, Universidad de Chile (a derby which history can be traced back to 1909). Their golden era would come in the 1950s and 1960s when they won three titles and got to the Copa Libertadores semi finals in 62, 66 and 69. However, by the 1970s the club was in deep economic trouble, getting their Estadio Independencia ground demolished and being relegated in 1973. Alfonso Swett's election as Club President in 1982 put the crisis behind, managing a further 2 titles and reestablishing the Cruzados as a power in the country to this day; with titles in 2018 and 2019, Universidad CatĂłlica is once again at the forefront of Chilean football. However, on the international front, things are different. Their sole appearance in the Copa Libertadores final was in 1993 (losing to SĂŁo Paulo), with just one official international title, the 1994 Copa Interamericana. With one of the biggest budgets in Chilean football and one of the most respected youth academies in the country (producing the likes of Milovan Mirosevic, Mauricio Isla and Gary Medel), itâs time for U. CatĂłlica to consolidate their position in the league and give Chile their second-ever Libertadores winner.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Play attacking football.
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 3rd.
(3) Key Players: Diego Buonanotte, Edson Puch, Christopher Toselli.
(4) Young Talents: Ignacio Saavedra, Gonzalo Tapia, Alexander Aravena.
Colombia
Hard â BoyacĂĄ ChicĂł
(1) Background & Expectation
For most of us, our colours are something that is passed on to us, by our family, by our friends, by someone important in our life; for former footballer Eduardo Pimentel it was something he dreamed up. When he retired in 1996 he wanted to shake up Colombian football, which he felt was stuck. He started founding football schools across the country, contacting former teammates and gathering sponsors. In 2001 he formed BogotĂĄ ChicĂł FC, named after the neighbourhood in the Colombian capital he had grown in. However, it was not a social non-profit club like the model that reigned in Colombian football, but a public limited sports company people could invest in. They consolidated themselves as a competitive Primera B side before achieving promotion to the First Division in 2003. However, only two years later, facing economic trouble due to lack of fans support and sponsors, they took the offer of the BoyacĂĄ Governor to move the club there. It kickstarted a golden era for the Ajedrezados who consolidated their position as a First Division side and peaked with the 2008 Torneo Apertura win and a subsequential Copa Libertadores qualification. Since then, however, they have become a bit of a yo-yo club, losing and regaining their top division status twice over the last 5 years. With one of the smallest budgets in the division and a history of instability, can you once again establish Pimentelâs dream club as a Primera A club and go beyond?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign players under the age of 23 for the first team.
Predicted to finish 17th.
(3) Key Players: Jean Carlos Blanco, Juan Camilo Vela, Diego Echeverri.
(4) Young Talents: Jhon Caicedo, Jacobo Pimentel.
Medium - Envigado FC
(1) Background & Expectation
Ajax Amsterdam is the go-to club for a youth-oriented save, but what if I told you that some 8800 km from the Dutch capital there is another club with equal love for the development of footballers? Coming from the Colombian province of AntioquĂa, Envigado FC was founded as recently as 1989, which makes the pool of talent they have developed even more amazing; James RodrĂguez, Juan Fernando Quintero, Freddy GuarĂn, Dorlan PabĂłn, Giovanni Moreno and Frank Fabra, key members of Colombiaâs latest golden era, all started their careers with La Cantera de HĂ©roes. However, for all the success in developing the heroes of tomorrow, they have struggled to match that on the pitch. Theyâve only managed two titles in their history, both in the Second Division, and just a single participation in an international competition, when they qualified for the 2012 Copa Sudamericana. The root of the problem is that for all the talent theyâre growing, itâs often other clubs that rip the benefits: James RodrĂguez moved to Argentina as a 17-year-old, Quintero was sold to AtlĂ©tico Nacional, Freddy GuarĂn left for free to Boca Juniors. With one of the smallest budgets in the league, keeping players around can be tricky for Envigado, but it will be necessary if they want to become a top side in Colombia. Fancy a youth challenge with a twist?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 18th.
(3) Key Players: Jorge Aguirre, Yeison GuzmĂĄn, George Saunders.
(4) Young Talents: Jhon Durån, Santiago Muñoz, Carlos Paternina.
Easy â AtlĂ©tico Nacional
(1) Background & Expectation
AtlĂ©tico Nacional has won fourteen league titles and four Copa Colombia medals; theyâre also the only Colombian side with two Copa Libertadores titles. With a total of twenty-nice official titles in total, theyâre arguably Colombian footballâs most successful club, which earned them the nickname Rey de Copas, the king of trophies. The stadium they share with Independiente de MedellĂn, the Estadio Atanasio Girardot, is the third largest venue in all of Colombia, only behind Deportivo Caliâs Coloso de Palmaseca and the Metropolitan Stadium of Barranquilla, and the Verde is one of three clubs (with Independiente de Santa Fe and Millonarios) to have disputed every single season of Colombiaâs top tier league. So⊠whereâs the challenge? Well, in the future. Colombian football is going through a golden era, returning to the World Cup in 2014 after a 16-year leave (the 5th place they managed in Brazil their best ever WC performance), repeating in 2018 and achieving a 3rd place finish in the 2016 Copa AmĂ©rica. However, this is yet to show in the club game, with AtlĂ©tico Nacionalâs 2016 Copa Libertadores triumph a lonely success; no side from Colombia has gone past the Round of 16 since. If the Colombian game is to cement its place as a powerhouse in South American football before some itâs most illustrious names fade, AtlĂ©tico Nacional is in the top position to do it.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign high-reputation players.
Predicted to finish 1st.
(3) Key Players: Jefferson Duque, Baldomero Perlaza, Jarlan Barrera.
(4) Young Talents: Arley Zapata, TomĂĄs Ăngel.
Peru
Hard â Club Deportivo Llacuabamba
(1) Background & Expectation
Where does a team that has just been promoted from the third division get to? If your answer was âthe second divisionâ, then you lack the flair and creativeness for a job at the Peruvian Football Federation. Created in 1967, the Copa PerĂș (the countryâs third tier) is a multi-stage amateur competition designed to put a focus on grass-roots football, with a promotion straight to the first division as the top prize. Youâd think the clubs promoted would sink like a stone the next season, but in a highly competitive Peruvian top division, weâve had sides like Cusco FC, Juan Aurich and Binacional who have won national titles and played in the Libertadores. The latest to come through this route are Carlos Stein and our team for this spot, Deportivo Llacuabamba. Coming from a small mining town of the same name, the Resistencia Celeste managed to get promoted in only their first participation in the Copa PerĂș. Their 500 capacity stadium sits in the middle of the Andes, at over 3000 m. (9800 ft.) above sea level, requiring almost 20 hours to reach by car from Lima. With less than a decade since their foundation, their history book has enough blank pages to write an epic save. Considering theyâre removing the automatic promotion to the first division in 2021, can you make this the last Cinderella story of Peruvian football?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 20th.
(3) Key Players: Humberto Mendoza, Alex Valera, NĂger Vega.
(4) Young Talents: Diego PĂ©rez, Francisco Bustamente.
Medium â Melgar
(1) Background & Expectation
Lima is the 5th largest city in South American, so itâs only logical it's the biggest town in PerĂș, and home to the biggest sides. However, just over 1,000 kilometres to the south lies the city of Arequipa. Founded in the early 16th century, it has become an important cultural hub of that part of the country; central to that identity is itâs oldest and most beloved football club, FBC Melgar. The club has had its ups and downs, nearly going bankrupt in 1981, when up to their neck in debts they had three club presidents in twelve days and avoided relegation in the last day of the season. The very next tournament, they won the league. In recent times, particularly since the relegation of their South PerĂș Derby rivals Cienciano, they have established themselves as the top team in the area, taking the 2015 title and a runners-up spot the following year. Since then, they havenât dropped out of the continental qualification places, but with Cienciano back in the Primera DivisiĂłn, can you assert Melgar as the dominant force in southern PerĂș and then challenge the big sides in Lima?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign players under the age of 23 for the first team.
Do not sign players over the age of 30.
Predicted to finish 5th.
(3) Key Players: Carlos CĂĄceda, Irven Avila, Alexis Arias.
(4) Young Talents: Emilio Saba, Walter Tandazo.
Easy â Sporting Cristal
(1) Background & Expectation
No club from PerĂș has won the Copa Libertadores, with only Cienciano donning any major continental title. Naturally, you should expect the burden to fall into the shoulders of the big three, Universitario, Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal. They may have won a combined sixty-eight Peruvian titles between them, but with Universitario and Alianza struggling to assert themselves in the league over the last decade (just 1 title each), it is the least historied club of the three, Sporting Cristal, that looks more likely to bring that long-awaited Libertadores. Theyâve won four of the last eight titles and are looking in fine form to make it five out of the last ten. Should you take on the challenge, youâll have at your disposal one of the best academies in Peruvian football and a sound economic position to improve your squad with. The only limiting factor is probably the stadium; they rent the Estadio Alberto Gallardo from the Peruvian government, and even then, it only holds 11600 people. For Sporting Cristal to get a hold on the league and attempt to challenge for continental glory, investment in a truly worthy ground will be necessary. Will you be the manager to do it?
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign players under the age of 23 for the first team.
Do not sign players over the age of 30.
Predicted to finish 1st.
(3) Key Players: Christopher GonzĂĄles, Nilson Loyola, Emanuel Herrera.
(4) Young Talents: Gerald TĂĄvara, JesĂșs Castillo, Rafael Lutiger.
Uruguay
Hard â Boston River
(1) Background & Expectation
We previously discussed that one in three Argentinians live in Buenos Aires; however, that is dwarfed when compared with Uruguay where over half of the population inhabit the Montevideo Metropolitan Area. This, of course, translates to football with just seven out of the twenty-eight current First and Second Division clubs playing their trade outside of the Uruguayan capital. For clubs, this means every fight is an arduous one; drawing fans to your ground, luring players to your squad, attracting sponsors to your club, it can all prove tricky with such a cramped market and wide-ranging offers, particularly for small clubs as itâs never the big fish who go home empty-handed. Boston River is one of those small clubs. Founded in 1939, they returned to official AUF (Uruguay FA) competitions in 1999, achieving promotion to the Second Division in 2006, and then to the top tier ten years later. Consecutive top-8 finishes in 2016 and 2017 got them to the Copa Sudamericana, but since then mediocre campaigns in 2019 and 2020 has left them on the edge of relegation. The real-life resignation of Player/Manager SebastiĂĄn Abreu could prove a blessing in disguise for any potential manager as previously taking the club would void his contract, depriving the Manager of one of the clubs most reputable players, but itâs gonna take some serious work to halt Boston Riverâs collapse.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign players under the age of 23 for the first team.
Predicted to finish 15th.
(3) Key Players: NicolĂĄs Freitas and Yanowsky Reyes.
(4) Young Talents: Bruno Barja, Santiago Franco, Ismael TejerĂa.
Medium â River Plate de Montevideo
(1) Background & Expectation
In 1897, the workers of the Montevideo docks formed a football club, and named it "Cagancha FC". Uruguayan football authorities, however, refused to admit them into the league as they only accepted British-founded clubs. The club was reformed as FC London, and then River Plate FC, but to no avail. It took until 1901, when the Club Nacional de Football was accepted, for the league to admit the Darseneros, the "dock workers". They got promoted to the First Division in 1906 and won titles in 1908, 1910, 1913 and 1914. However, by 1920 they had been relegated and in 1925 the club disappeared. When professionalism arrived in Uruguayan football in 1932, amateur clubs Olimpia FC and CA Capurro decided to merge to compete at the highest level; they adopted the name and colours of what had been the biggest club in their area, River Plate. Unlike its predecessor, the CA River Plate struggled to settle in the first division, yo-yo-ing between the two top tiers until the 1990s. Since then, theyâve regularly qualified for continental competitions and even got a Copa Libertadores debut in 2016. They've also distinguished themselves as a great sporting project that has consistently developed their youth, with young striker MatĂas Arezo undoubtedly the jewel of the crown. The 17-year-old has been killing it in the Copa Sudamericana and has attracted interest from several European clubs. Keeping him for just enough time could prove the key for a long and successful River Plate save.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 4th.
(3) Key Players: MatĂas Arezo, Pablo Neris, RibaĂr RodrĂguez.
(4) Young Talents: Facundo Vigo, Logan Ponce.
Easy â Club Nacional de Football
(1) Background & Expectation
Nacional was founded in 1899 as a response to the club that would become (and the nature of that transformation has been highly debated) the Club AtlĂ©tico Peñarol. Nacional was the club of the criollos (locals descendant of the Spanish colonial elites) while Peñarol represented the British immigrants who brought the game to the Rio de la Plata. While that difference has vanished over the years, the Uruguayan-pride sentiment cannot be washed off from the Tricolor. Nacionalâs colours of white, blue and red are those of the Flag of JosĂ© Gervasio Artigas, the national hero of Uruguay who led the independence movement of the nation; the fourth kit Nacional wears every year, known as La Celeste, commemorates the 13th of September of 1903 when Uruguay got their first-ever international win, beating Argentina 3-2; all eleven players were Nacional players. However, they have been trading blows with Peñarol ever since the beginning of times, so building a solid gap between the two bitter rivals should be any Nacional manager's first job. After that, the world is your oyster: The first international title for an Uruguayan side in 32 years? The first Club World Cup title for a South American side in almost a decade? Perhaps even getting eleven Nacional players into the Uruguay National Team starting spots? With Nacionalâs academy and the seemingly inexhaustible Uruguayan talent pool, nothing is impossible.
(2) Club Vision & Media Prediction:
Sign high-reputation players.
Play attacking football.
Develop players using the clubâs youth system.
Predicted to finish 1st.
(3) Key Players: Gabriel Neves, Mathias Laborda, Gonzalo Bergessio.
(4) Young Talents: Santiago Cartagena, Manuel Monzeglio, Brian Ocampo.
Once again, a huge thank you to Fernando @rocksendfm for joining me on todayâs blog. Both this post and the league guide will remain on my site, handily saved on this page: fmgrasshopper.com/tactics for future reading.
If you do plan to go with any of these teams in FM21, weâd love to hear how you get on,
ÂĄVamos!
FM Grasshopper