Why Atlético Junior in #FM21? - La Plata: Colombia

 
 

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

"El Silencio" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 
 

He was born in Venezuela, spent his childhood in Colombia, became a man in Uruguay, and a drug baron in Mexico. A lot has happened already in the 33 years Hugo Ojeda has been on this planet…but fate had once again pulled him back to the Colombian jungle. On the outskirts of the Colombian city of Cúcuta, near the Venezuelan frontier, Hugo Ojeda had arrived back ‘home’ to the refugee camp, in order to bury his mother.

“The jungle was where she was happiest”, Hugo reflected. It was where she first met Ángel Bastardo…the camp’s faultless protector, and the love of her life. The sad truth was that his mother had already died twice since. The first, after Bastardo’s imprisonment, and the second, in Mexico, where she saw Hugo Ojeda become one of Mexico’s most notorious drug traffickers. They had not spoken for over five years, and it pained Hugo to know that there would never be a final chance to say goodbye. “Bastardo would never let his loved ones die…especially by way of suicide”, Hugo mused.

After the short ceremony, Hugo stood alone in front of the chapel’s newly installed stained glass window. It was a self-commissioned portrait of Hugo with his ‘El Silencio’: Ojeda’s signature golden gun that fired venom laced bullets from its abnormally weak chamber. It was said that the bullet’s impact was not likely to kill you, but the Black Mamba snake venom was. It would guarantee that you would die from fever within half an hour. Hugo had truly adopted the Snake of Sinaloa persona bestowed upon him by the Mexican Cartels, when he swapped Murciélagos FC with Dorados, as a young Football Manager.

Father Martínez, who had remained in the jungle all these years, to continue the work with the refugees, slowly approached Ojeda. The two men were now the only people in the chapel. Now in his 80’s, Father Martínez’s frailty had accelerated enough, to merit the use of a walking stick. His voice too had changed over the years and was now slower and deeper…with the odd stutter at places: “Your generous donation and instruction led us to the best Italian glass maker in the world. A family business that has been doing this for over 400 years. I hope it satisfies you Hugo”.

“It does. As do the rest of the donations I have provided, over the years, Father”, Hugo replied solemnly. Hugo was not in a mood to talk right then, especially to a religious zealot like Father Martínez…who had protested strongly when Hugo, his mother, and over half the camp’s previous occupants fled to Montevideo, to follow Bastardo, all those years ago. At the time, strong words were exchanged, and Hugo Ojeda remembered being branded a ‘Demon of Lucifer’ by the never courteous Father Martínez. Yet, donations did continue, not for the sake of God’s spokesman, but for the sake of the ever-increasing numbers of Venezuelan migrants, who needed help.

Father Martínez was not one to remain quiet and respectful. Even now, when words were becoming hard to grapple with, he poked his nose into things that did not concern him. “It is a sad consequence of our meeting, Hugo. Such an unfortunate end to a glorious and pious soul. But now that your mother has indeed passed, it would be good for you to enter into a confession…a confession to repent your sins...I believe this is what she wanted, and what you clearly need”.

“Religion makes a weak man feel strong”, Hugo thought to himself, as the Snake of Sinaloa’s rage started to boil under the apparent calm surface of his demeanour. The twitch in his right hand, yearning to wield El Silencio, was ever-growing. But killing a man, alone in a church? It felt beyond Hugo Ojeda and as such he continued with diplomacy: “Tell me Father. What do people here think of me?” Hugo, who had been enjoying the stained glass window, now turned to face Father Martínez.

The priest leaned against the nearest pew and smiled: “A legend, Hugo. Young people look up to you as an example, a hero, who managed to defy the odds and escape this jungle. They hope that they can follow your lead one day and do the same”…the old man’s smile began to dwindle and he became sombre, and even slower, and the words came out grating, from his throat: “But they are yet to understand who you truly are…like your mother, who eventually did. You were once a good boy Hugo Ojeda, but Montevideo, Mexico, and most certainly Ángel Bastardo, changed you. Look beyond the nice suits, flashy cars, and golden guns…and your work is truly the Devil’s. Confess, and begin the process of redemption...I beg you”.

Enough. Hugo Ojeda had had enough; he would raise his audible levels to ensure that the old man heard what he was about to say: “A legend?” With a cold smile, good enough for any stained glass window, Hugo Ojeda continued:

“Legends don’t burn down villages, Cabron. Every building in this shithole burns tonight, including this chapel of yours. Everybody leaves and heads to the port of Barranquilla with me. If not, they burn. The only church that illuminates tonight will be this burning one. We leave at sundown”. Having delivered the most serious of ultimatums, Hugo Ojeda stormed down the aisle and out of sight. His exit left the old man to dissect the decision that lay plain before him and his congregation: stay, and burn, OR, go to Barranquilla, and live…

RIP Father Martínez

Notes from the Editor - I wanted to revisit the Colombian jungle where we first met Hugo Ojeda, in FM20. Not only is Colombia the location of my next Football Manager save…it also gives me the chance to reflect on that previous piece. Hugo Ojeda has changed. From the young boy who took stand against the foreign invader (Ruslan Chepiga), he has transformed to become the adversary himself! The adversary who burns down the jungle complex, through his power as a drug lord. Whereas the previous inhabitants of that refugee camp chose to follow Bastardo, to Montevideo out of admiration and love, they now follow Ojeda, north to the Colombian coast, out of fear. But, I do not want this blog post to be too dark and so I have omitted Father Martínez’s ultimate refusal and martyrdom. As I said last time out, you’ll just have to imagine the fire.

We head to Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, for a more traditional save reveal, which will follow soon…

FM Grasshopper

Special thanks to Arun Abraham Varghese who helped co-edit this piece, offering exceptional proofreading skills and sage counsel, to bounce ideas around with CreativeFM. Thank you.