GCZ — FM Grasshopper Blog — CoffeehouseFM

Kim Källström entered my consciousness in the early 'noughties' as one of my first signings for The Arsenal back in my Championship Manager 01/02 save. Kim developed into the finest AMC that North London has ever seen (move over Brady, George, Bergkamp et al...Kim was in town). His career at Arsenal was littered with league titles and European success. He was the heartbeat of my attacking 5-2-1-2 formation. A conjurer of assists and a weaver of dreams.

Yet in real life I had to wait until 2006 until I watched a full 90mins (technically 120 mins) featuring Kim. This was a France Cup tie: Rennes against Montpellier, where Kim scored Rennes' 5th goal in extra time. I watched it with my mum that day on Eurosport UK, and I took great pleasure in telling her the ins and outs of Kim's game. His assists, long shots and the way he gloriously dictates play. My mum was left bewildered with my obvious man lust.

Moving forward 8 years and I finally got to see Kim in the flesh playing for my beloved Arsenal (25 March 2014, Arsenal 2-2 Swansea). Was I dreaming? Apparently not, as Kim came on that day for an 11 minute cameo. The most striking thing that I noticed was that, in 8 years, Kim's game was seemingly unchanged. He was tidy in possession and showed a keen eye for a pass.

Now fast forwarding a little more to the Present Day, I am once again reunited with Kim at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) . This feels like the final hurrah in [our] my fictional manager/player relationship, which has spanned almost 15 years of [our] my life. So what does Kim Källström bring to GCZ in FM16?

It's difficult to say exactly what he will bring in terms of player stats (unless I bribe Swiss FM researcher, @aulit_z, for some clues) but we are safe to assume that Kim will be the Deep Lying Playmaker of previous FM editions:

Kim's arrival has seen GCZ line up as a 4-2-3-1 in the first few weeks of the season, being partnered by Marko Basic - a new signing from Lugano. This combination is currently working in real life and something I may look to replicate in FM16. However, do I give Kim a defensive of supportive DLP role?

Looking at his stats above. Kim posses good defensive DLP traits; he has good passing combined with positioning, teamwork and vision. He also has a helpful PPM of 'Tries Killer Ball Often', something that is crucial in the DLP role. He could also contribute further up the pitch in a supportive role, however I have a slight reluctance due to his Off The Ball currently set at '10' in FM15.

If we are to use Kim as a DLP, we also need to be confident in Marko Basic's role as a defensive central midfielder. This is because they represent the deepest pair in a 4-2-3-1 formation and need to be primarily compact & defensive. If I use Kim to his best ability I will need somebody who can defend and recycle possession - think of it as a Pirlo/Gattuso relationship. Recruitment in pre-season in this area should definitely be a focus for me.

Kim will not be the swashbuckling AMC of CM 01/02, but he represents GCZ's most valuable asset - especially after being given a 3 year contract expiring in 2018. So now, after 15 years since gracing the Highbury grass, the challenge in FM16 is to make him the heartbeat of my team once again.

FM Grasshopper

The title question is a legitimate one. Grasshopper Club Zürich, or GCZ as they are known, are a giant of Swiss football...yet face an enormous challenge to bring back the glory days of previous title wins. 27 title wins to be precise, dating as far back as 1898 and as recent as 2003.

Stadium

GCZ used to play at Hardtrum, a 1929 constructed stadium with a 17,666 capacity, but finances and low attendances saw this stadium demolished from the 2007/08 season. Since then, GCZ have had a bittersweet relationship with FC Zürich and now ground share at the Letzigrund. For all intents and purposes, this remains FC Zürich's spiritual home and not GCZ's.

A 'Stadion Zürich' is proposed on the old Hardtrum site, which would see GCZ relocate to a new circa 20,000 stadium but faced a 50.8% refusal in a local referendum. One key personal motivation in taking on the GCZ challenge, and answering the title question, is the sense of achievement at bringing GCZ 'home'. To do this however, certain amounts of wizardy are needed in the club's finances...

Finances

Since GCZ's 2002/2003 title winning season, FC Basel have become the dominate force in Swiss football (9 times league winners) and to a lesser extent FC Zürich (3 times league winners) and BSC Young Boys (5 times runner up). The toll is slowly starting to show on the GCZ squad and finances.

As of August 2015, not only are GCZ 70% less of the market value of FC Basel (£52.9m/€73.47), they are also £21.8m/€30.28m behind BSC Young Boys [based on transfermarkt.co.uk].

Squad

This decline has in part led to a reduction in playing staff and the ability to keep hold of established stars. GCZ now have the smallest and youngest squad in the entire Swiss Super League (10 teams). This will notably heighten the GCZ challenge in FM16.

The standout player is obviously an FM legend: Kim Kallstrom of Sweden (33 years old next week). Kim has signed a contract until 2018, meaning that he will be the player to build around in this season's FM16. He has a range of passing and an uncanny knack of finding teammates at set pieces. If there was ever a deep-lying playmaker to build around, it's Kim.

The other standout established players are Yoric Ravet (25 years, contracted until 2017) and Caio (29 years, contracted until 2018), who will be expected to make significant contributions offensively to the team in the 15/16 year.

Beyond this, the team is largely young. Upcoming talents to be nurtured are Shani Tarashaj (20 years), Munas Dabbur (23 years) and Levent Gülen (21 years). All should make the step up this year to replace personnel who were sold last year.

So, why Grasshopper Club Zürich? Well the answer simply lies in the challenge. Knocking FC Basel off their throne will be enjoyable, but there are also long term challenges such as a potential stadium move, improving finances and seeing the young team reach their full potential. Make no mistake, this will be a hard FM challenge...