El Dorado - The five year period between 1949 and 1954 where Colombia arguably had the greatest domestic league in the world, attracting the World’s best players; including a 23-year-old Alfredo Di Stéfano. Although clouded in controversy, a second El Dorado could be seen as occurring in the 1980s; where Colombian teams would be awash with cash from questionable sources, with drug cartels seeing football clubs as a good way to launder ‘narco-dollars’, in the same way as real estate and hospitality services.
Monopsony - In contrast to a monopoly (where a single entity controls or dominates the sale of goods/services), a monopsony sees a single entity control the demand for goods/services.
Intro
In Football Manager terms, I was not away from South America for very long. Just four Mexican seasons in fact, as we saw Hugo Ojeda switch Sinaloan clubs and rise up the Mexican footballing ladder. But despite being away from South America, the Mexican Opening & Closing league splits still made me feel at ‘home’. Therefore, it is probably no surprise for readers to see me wanting to take Hugo ‘home’ for Football Manager 2021, like the archetypical South American footballer looking to bow out on one last high in his home continent.
Colombia has always been on my ‘to blog’ list. With a fascinating footballing history, the country has come through some dark times. Whether it’s their own footballing association breaking away from FIFA and going it alone in order to become a circus act in the 1950s to [eventual] disastrous effects, or to the drug cartel ownerships of its domestic clubs and influence on its national team…(which sadly had devastatingly and tragic consequences for Colombia’s 1994 World Cup team). Colombia is never short of an amazing story to tell.
It is hoped that I can also tell an amazing story here too for Football Manager 2021, by taking over the reins at Club Junior de Barranquilla (Atlético Junior) - Colombia’s main Caribbean top flight team.
Hinchas de Junior.
Why Atlético Junior in FM21?
I always try to explain why I select my Football Manager starting team, not just for the reader’s benefit…but also for myself. I find that this kind of post helps validate my choice and also firms up some of the things I want to do in each edition. For Football Manager 2021 it’s no different, I’ll address some of the reasons why we’re here in Colombia (and more specifically Atlético Junior); before moving on to setting out some of the save’s aims and aspirations. Vamos.
(1) Split League System
I understand a lot of people’s hesitation to jump into South America, the split league systems are often alien to their European counterparts and there are frequent changes year-on-year. However, I’ve found the experience of learning and adapting to these leagues an additional pleasure that complements my FMing. Last year’s excursions in Uruguay with Peñarol were great fun, the league system was a traditional Opening & Closing format with a nice mid-season cup competition in between. Colombia takes this one step further with a classic South American Opening & Closing system, whereby the league campaign is split into two halves. After each half (Apertura & Clausura), the top eight teams are separated into two groups of four who will play one another twice home/away. The winner of each group (Quadrangular) will then play one another (again home/away) to see who is crowned league winner. This means there will be two league champions each year.
(2) Maturana’s Magic
I have written before on this blog about Osvaldo Zubeldía and how he introduced a darker art to the game of football. His late 1960s Estudiantes de La Plata squad became the best club side in the world…but in doing so walked a thin line between being the most hated too. Another, often overlooked, legacy is what he did for Colombian football at Atlético Nacional between 1976 and until his untimely death in 1982. His demands for professionalism and strategy emboldened a generation of Colombian footballers…who in turn would transfer these traits onto the generation that would come after it. None more so than Francisco Maturana who was a star player (and captain) for Zubeldía’s Nacional and who would later become Colombia’s greatest ever manager, overseeing the national side on four separate occasions.
Despite Maturana’s only International honours coming in his third stint (the 2001 Copa América), his first two spells as Colombia coach produced quick one-touch football (spoken in Colombia as El Toque/The Touch) that was probably ahead of its time. René Higuita would be the Sweeper ‘Keeper, 25 years before Pep Guardiola & Manuel Neuer would be praised by Football Twitter for ‘introducing it’; and the tiki-taka on display was dictated by Colombia’s greatest ever No.10: Carlos Valderrama. Like a lot of bored football fans during the 2020 global pandemic lockdown, I sat down and watched a decent amount of retro football. One game in particular was the full 90 minutes of Maturana’s most famous win: Argentina 0-5 Colombia during the 1994 World Cup qualification. A performance so good that even Argentines, including Diego Armando Maradona, would applaud them off the field.
Higuita & Valderrama in Junior colours.
Maturana’s Colombia seemed to revel in the rhythm of El Toque, a style so unique that the team could look like they were pissing about in a friendly match before suddenly clicking into gear (See Freddy Rincón’s 90+3 equaliser Vs West Germany in the 1990 World Cup). Like Rincón’s famous goal, a lot of Colombia’s play was through Valderrama, who despite being designated as the No.10 would often pick up the ball deep within his own half alongside the defensive midfielders. He was the definition of a free role and the heartbeat of the side. Replicating Maturana’s approach, in particular the fluid and creative freedoms given to players, and applying it to Atlético Junior in Football Manager 2021 is one of my aspirations. In particular:
Control the ball - Maturana’s team would emulate the Dutch style that came a decade or so before it. His ‘tactical intensity’ did not necessarily require fit players…it was rather those players moving together in a fluid system. To do this, the Colombian side was compact but also aggressive in the press. Then with the ball, players were encouraged to show creative freedom and in Maturana’s words: “we took a mode of play that was invented many miles away, but we adapted it using a Colombian style: that of enjoying ourselves”.
Keeping with the Sweeper ‘Keeping - René Higuita was a pioneer in goal. His high risk strategy was so ahead of its time, it was lauded as obscene by some…especially after his mistake Vs Roger Milla’s Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup. But I wonder how he’d be considered nowadays, providing he was in the right team? For Football Manager 2021, I want to continue with the Sweeper ‘Keeper and favour a technically gifted Goalkeeper. Luckily for me, from Day 1 of the save I inherit Sebastián Viera…a 37-year-old goal scoring goalkeeper who takes freekicks.
The No.10 - Like Argentina, Colombia has been obsessed with the more traditional & romantic No.10. To the point where it’s production line of players actually produces good defensive midfielders, who are expected to do all the work a No.10 would not (see Wílmar Barrios as an example). But take a look this season at James Rodríguez at Everton, who regularly shows his playmaking class in a more luxurious and languid role; providing the level of protection is there behind him. Using a romantic No.10 is perhaps something I have not done in FM for a good number of years now. My playmakers are usually all-rounders and have never been tasked with the free role between the lines like a Rodríguez or Valderrama. But now in Colombia, and more specifically with Atlético Junior, I can’t overlook one of the greatest FM Wonderkids of old: Sherman Cárdenas. 31-year-old Cárdenas is another player I inherit and somebody I will be looking to build around in the spirit of Maturana as my No.10.
Sherman Cárdenas in Football Manager 2007.
(3) Caribbean Trickery
The above technical demands, whether it’s controlling the ball, Sweeper ‘Keepers or No.10s, are nice segues into my next reason for choosing Atlético Junior over the other Colombia clubs. It is probably a mixture of historical, geographical and social influences; but Barranquilla (and the Caribbean Coast) is perceived to produce more technical/tricky players, often wingers.
These influences are probably accelerated by the prevailing tactics and youth development in the diverse geographical regions and diaspora that make up Colombia. In the Pacific West, you will often find strong physical players and in the central regions more intelligent ball players often come through. It’s my desire in Football Manager 2021 to keep up with traditions and have a training & youth development emphasis on developing technical proficiency in the squad (something I will probably write about more, when the time is right).
(4) El Dorado Part III
The profile of a region’s footballer may have been reinforced into the Colombian psyche from the first El Dorado era, where the professional league split from FIFA and played glamour ties around the globe with some of the World’s best foreign players. Much of the 1950 World Cup winning Uruguayan side turned out in Cúcuta, in order to play for Deportivo Cúcuta, Bogotá would be a mix of Argentines (predominantly at Millonarios) and English (at Independiente Santa Fe) and the Caribbean Coast would be awash with tricky Brazilians and Hungarians (at Atlético Junior).
This reinforces my plans to favour the technically gifted, but it’s also a desire to bring about a third El Dorado and raise Colombia’s profile in a continental and international sense. I would love to see the league grow in reputation, and also to see the National Team do wonders. So, I hope to not only offer a pathway from Atlético Junior’s youth system through to the First Team and International recognition; but also to bring in the odd reputable foreign import to boost our standing in the South American game.
(5) Caribbean Connectivity
Readers should know by now that the thematic narrative in my head is a big factor in the decisions I make in-game, and it’s something I wrote about at length in Issue Four of Latte Quarterly. I am continuing with Hugo Ojeda’s story, but to do that I am advancing my timeline by 10 years…but I have to admit that the save’s universe doesn’t undergo this transformation (until such a time where saves can port between FM editions). So, my advice is just to accept this.
“The Ojeda Way”.
But why would Hugo Ojeda logically end up in Colombia? It’s simple (in my head anyway). In the 10 years that have passed, all of Mexico’s Drug Cartels have fallen in line to Ojeda’s rule…he’s created a Monopsony. A unified Mexican Cartel has become the only big buyer of the Colombian mob’s product: cocaine, and when you have this leverage you can ultimately set the price you want to pay. It’s a powerful position to be in, but perhaps not enough for the greed that Hugo Ojeda now finds himself in. Controlling the product, by bringing the Colombians in line, and refining the efficiencies, would ensure total control over production, trafficking and distribution.
Once this is done, nothing can stop Hugo Ojeda.
My FM21 Checklist
I hope the above goes some way in explaining why I want to manage Atlético Junior in this year’s edition of Football Manager. But I’m hoping the below keeps my interest, it’s FM21 checklist time:
Trophies and Legacies (Aims 1-3)
Aims (1), (2) & (3) are carryovers from last year with Peñarol. But it makes sense to leave them on my checklist seeing that I never fulfilled them, and also because it would be great to win continental & international club honours with Atlético Junior. Despite being a nine time domestic champion (fifth overall in Colombia), the club has never won a continental trophy. It would be great to finally do this for the club.
With regards to youth development, my eventual aim is to see five academy players (Newgen/Non-Newgen) capped at a senior national team.
Tactics and Training (Aims 4 and 5)
I’m not sure how I will tactically set up in Football Manager 2021 just yet, but I want to have elements of Maturana’s Colombian style previously discussed in place. I want this approach to run through the entire club too, so I’ll be taking on the training of all squads to ensure that a pathway exists for players that fit this style, to come through and be a success here.
Long Term Ambitions (Aims 6 and 7)
The last two aims are longer term and may never come to fruition, given the fact that I rarely get near to a ten season save nowadays. But I would love to see the league grow in stature, and to do that means continued success. I’m never keen to ‘build a nation’ and help out the AI, by selling on the cheap to domestic rivals. So, I expect the success to be more or less reliant on how Colombian sides perform in the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana cup competitions.
In terms of aim (7), Atlético Nacional currently leads the way in Colombia with sixteen league titles (seven more than Atlético Junior). This shows the turnaround needed to surpass Nacional, but having two league winners each year may help me out here.
So, that’s my save reveal: Colombia’s Atlético Junior, for a potential One Club Save. Or perhaps I will get the urge to move on, like I had last year in Uruguay…who knows. Whatever the case, I do intend to keep the blog going with two updates per season; and I hope you can join me in La Plata: Colombia. I’ll be keeping my new FM21 page updated as posts are released: fmgrasshopper.com/fm21.
I can be found here on the blog (duh!), on Twitter (@FM_Grasshopper) and on FM Slack (search for #fmgrasshopper channel). As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.
FM Grasshopper