"The Celestial City" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 
URU and COL.jpg
 

Intro

The Ghost Finals did appear! As a result, this post covers the brief conclusion to the 2022 Apertura campaign before moving straight into the Clausura Stage: that’s both 2022 domestic titles up for grabs in the timespan of this post. I will then muse about how and why I seem to have devoted all my foreign player slots to a new generation of Uruguayan talent, before concluding this post with a bit of CreativeFM™. After all, it’s been two years now in Barranquilla…it’s time to see what Don Hugo Ojeda is up to.

If you care about any of the above, then please read on…


The Ghost Final(s)

So, the 2022 two legged Opening Final was a repeat of the same teams from the 2021 Closing Stage: Millonarios Vs Hugo Ojeda’s Junior Club. Only this time, the winner would be guaranteed entry to the Copa Libertadores Group Stage, so it’s even more important. I was slightly worried that the new Misery 4-4-2 tactic wasn’t so good away from home…yet, after a 1st leg 3-1 home victory, we held firm with a 2-0 away win in Bogotá’s El Campín. Two good performances, 5-1 on aggregate and the second final running where we’ve beaten Capital Club Millonarios. Got to love the rivalry that’s developed between the two sides so far in this save.

The Ghost Finals.

It also means that Junior Club hold both the Opening and Closing stage titles concurrently for a short period…something that doesn’t happen as often as you would think in Colombia during the two title calendar year.

Season 2022: Clausura

The finals arrived amongst the Closing Stage calendar, so I [unintentionally] sacrificed a few games with heavy rotation in order to have my best XI fit for the finals. Nevertheless, it was a solid campaign with a 3rd place finish and qualification to the playoffs with a game to spare (thus removing the stress of a final day battle akin to what we saw in my Misery post). Towards the end of the normal season, and in keeping with club traditions, I even managed to introduce several youth players into the side as the U20 domestic season finished a few weeks earlier. This allowed 15-year-old Charles Asprilla to become the club’s youngest player and goalscorer, netting a free kick in a 3-0 Vs Cúcuta Deportivo. Wonderful.

Clausura results.

We, and in particular Jhon Durán, started the Semi Finals in electric form. Four straight wins and two hat-tricks for Colombia’s GoldenBoy, saw us romp to the lead of the mini-league. Surely Junior wouldn’t finish anywhere but 1st in the group? Well, in truth it went down to the final game. Depo Cali beating Millonarios to spare the blushes of Barranquilla’s premier team, who went down 2-0 in Cali. Phew.

Great start, awful finish.

Now onto the second set of two legged finals in four months: Junior Club Vs Atlético Nacional. Scheduled three days after the Semi Final Groups had finished, Ojeda’s Junior would go straight into battle against Colombia’s most successful club…

2022 Closing Final(s).

Atlético Nacional ended up conceding just 8 goals in 28 Closing Stage games, and their defence was impenetrable in the finals. I had both Opening and Closing Stage top scorers at my disposal (Durán-Arezo), yet we blanked each time…awful to see. The title winning goal was also an abomination on our part too…is it time for 39-year-old Sebastián Viera to call time on his career?

This could easily be the opening scene in a Paranormal Activity movie.

Copa Colombia

To compound the FM Misery, and remind me that I am still capable of implosions, we exited the Copa Colombia in the 2nd Round (our entry stage). A credible 2-1 away win against the three central striker formation of Cortuluá…to sadly self-destruct at home and lose 3-0. Absolute disaster and once again a failure in the domestic cup competition.

La Celeste

Colombian league rules allow squads to have four foreign players registered, and a restriction of three on the field at any one time. It may seem restrictive compared to a lot of other leagues, but I like that it forces clubs to go down the route of developing homegrown players.

Another side-effect of the restriction is that I’ve found signing foreign players more sacred, almost as if they walk in as de-facto MVPs of the team. This is probably due to my approach, where the foreign player coming in must be guaranteed First Team minutes (otherwise what’s the point?). They therefore need to have something special about them, something that can’t be sourced from the Caribbean Coast (or wider afield in Colombia). For me in FM21 that special quality is, more often than not, Garra Charrú.

Instead of an Englishman (me) trying to write about what it is, I’ll simply quote the last Uruguayan to play for my beloved Arsenal:

‘Garra charrua’ means that we give all we have inside. We give all we have to our football, our jersey and our country. We do our best because every time we enter the pitch we represent our family and friends, the most important people for us. (Lucas Torreira, 2018).

Yesterday’s yerba mate, to fuel the garra charrua spirit 🧉

I ‘think’ Uruguayans appeal to me in FM because of my love for mentally strong players (see fibra). Stereotypically, Uruguayan players work hard for the team (Teamwork & Work Rate) and get amongst it on the field (Aggression, Bravery & Determination). It’s no wonder then that four of the six foreign players I’ve signed so far in FM21 are from La Celeste: Matías Arezo, Manuel Ugarte, Joaquín Piquerez and Ignacio Laquintana. But garra charrua is perhaps demonstrated best in the man I inherited in FM21: Club Captain, and record Junior Club league appearance holder (471), Sebastián Viera.

Sebastián Viera - Goalkeeper - Junior Club (2011-present)

I alluded to it earlier in the post, I am considering bringing an end to Sebastián Viera’s run in the side…but I can’t help admire the Uruguay ‘keeper that has started every game of the save so far (that’s 140 games in two years). I feel as if he should be immortalised on the blog, as one of the standout heroes of FM21 so far. For a Goalkeeper he is a great leader, but it’s also his Aggression, Bravery & Determination that are dreamy. There’s been good, bad and ugly moments (like in the 2022 Closing Final), and I am in two minds as to whether I should pre-emptively replace him before he becomes too old. But let’s just admire him for one more time. 39-year-old club icon.

Matías Arezo - Striker - Junior Club (2021-present)

Arezogol! After 27 goals in 2022 (all comps), I’m sure that Arezo will only get better over the next Decade. Sadly, that probably won’t be with us. A measly €2.1m release clause sits over his head (after being reduced by €400k when our Director of Football handled Arezo’s latest contract extension). It’s probably time to find him a move, especially now that Argentine giants Boca Juniors are interested. I would love to see what he can do there, before assumingly taking Europe by storm one day.

Jhon Durán has already shown he can be relied upon for goals, and a few of the Barranquilla FC boys can hopefully chip in with some too. But Arezo will always have a special place in FM21 FMG lore. The kid plucked from the shores of Río de la Plata, replacing Miguel Borja as our No.9 and going on to win us two league titles. Gracias Matías xoxo

Manuel Ugarte - Central Midfielder - Junior Club (2022-present)

Probably one of the better known South American Wonderboys of FM21, simply due to his bargain status at the start of the game (available for a pre-contract agreement from January 2021). I couldn’t miss out on signing Manuel Ugarte, even if he uses us as a stepping stone; before eventually moving to Mexico, USA or even Europe. Similar to Arezo, a €2m release clause sits on Manuel’s contract.

Since switching to the Misery 4-4-2, Ugarte has been a mainstay in the side as our Deep Lying Playmaker on Support. He makes some glorious central through balls and has even started chipping in with a few goals. I would like to keep him for one more season, but let’s see what happens here.

Joaquín Piquerez - Left Wing Back - Junior Club (2022-present)

My next two Uruguayan signings are guys that won’t necessarily always play in the same position, they’re good but their wide versatility is what appealed to me the most. Joaquín Piquerez joined from Peñarol for a big €1.5m. In the five months he’s been here, he has rotated with Jaminton Campaz as the left sided Inverted Winger and with Gabriel Fuentes as the left sided Wing Back.

He’s a bit of a luxury player to have, because he’s lacking in some places…but then gorgeously gifted in other areas. Perhaps the Wing Back to play when I feel I have the license to take more risks and get him further up the pitch in order to make use of that Crossing, Dribbling, Flair, Long Shots & Technique. I love him already, I think you should too.

Ignacio Laquintana - Right Wing Back - Junior Club (from 2023)

Soon-to-be Junior Player, Ignacio Laquintana, is our second wide utility player. Played mostly as a Wing Back at Defensor, Laquintana does not possess as much of the Garra Charrú Warrior Spirit as the guys mentioned already. But he does look like a good option down the flanks, either at Right Back or more advanced as a Winger.

Laquintana joins us on a Free Transfer and I am excited about seeing him eat into some untapped Potential Ability and become a really good option for us. He will train in the Attacking Unit, in order to fill a similar attacking option (like with Piquerez) for when I am feeling confident. I cannot wait to use him.

The Celestial City

Hugo Ojeda was seen as the posterboy for the new South American manager: young, ambitious and, most of all, successful. His ties to shadier affairs in Colombia and Mexico were just rumours, for now, and he would need to keep it this way. The Great Ángel Bastardo had once told him that “Being a Drug Lord is a bit like being a poisoner. You are either successful or well known”. The seemingly apparent Celestial City of Barranquilla had been good to Hugo Ojeda. Business had rapidly accelerated to further Don Hugo Ojeda’s stranglehold over Latin America’s legitimate and illegitimate affairs and, on the football pitch, Junior Club led the way with domestic successes in each of the two years he had been in Colombia.

However, the two captured Russian spies knew the truth. Ojeda was a poisoner. Bound and kneeling close together in the confides of Ojeda’s private chamber, they accepted their fate with silence. After a heavy interrogation the two men had revealed nothing about why they were here in Barranquilla, and who had sent them. But Ojeda suspected they were sent to kill him, after all the Russian Black Bear (Ruslan Chepiga) had been trying to do this for most of Hugo’s life. It was time to end the investigation and introduce the Russian spies to El Silencio, Ojeda’s legendary golden pistol. The single shots to each of the men’s torsos would likely not kill them, but the laced poison inside the shells would be enough to kick-start the impending fever and subsequent convulsions. It was a horrible death, and Hugo never particularly liked seeing his foes in their final moments like this…but “Being a Drug Lord is a bit like being a poisoner” Hugo mused.

After a few minutes, the men lay motionless on the floor; with only the poison’s effects quietly bubbling up from their mouths. Hugo Ojeda looked up to the stained glass window that overlooked him and the room’s former inhabitants. A single drop of blood ran slowly down the stained glass from top to bottom. The window’s tiles grew a darker shade of red as the droplet moved downwards over them, before splitting off into several smaller tributaries covering more of the window’s surface.

Hugo Ojeda closed his eyes. Where he once felt the fiery embers radiating from the window, he now only felt the cold.

 
 

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"Junior Club" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez.jpg
 

Intro

I don’t recall managing a club on Football Manager that has taken on as many names/identities as Junior. From the Italian immigrants who formed ‘Juventus’ to the Spanish form of ‘Juventud Infantil’ in the early days of it history, through to ‘Juventud Junior’, ‘Atlético Junior’, ‘Junior de Barranquilla’, ‘Junior Club’ and simply ‘Junior’ in more modern years. But one theme remains largely consistent in its names: Youth.

The Juventud Infantil of Barranquilla, formed in 1924, quickly became the most successful club side in the region (Champion of the first division of the Atlantic Football League in 1932). The hallmarks for this success, again like the name: Youth. Although this save is unlikely to be more than 10 seasons, I can’t help feeling a sense of responsibility in placing great importance on the nurturing of younger players. Youth Development is therefore today’s focus on the blog.

Junior Club: Welcome

 
 

Welcome to Junior Club. The in-game year is 2022.

Don’t worry, I am not going to overwhelm you by introducing you to every young player in the squad. I like to introduce my rising stars gradually in my save updates (e.g. Campaz as the Raumdeuter or ‘Arezogol’ in my Season 1 blog posts), and discuss what sets them apart etc. However, in this post I will pull back the curtain a bit more by introducing you to a few more players that I am excited about. Just three in fact: (1) a high-profile external signing, (2) a homegrown academy player from the intake and (3) a player recruited via Junior’s owned affiliate side. I’ll talk about what I have done with them previously and/or what I will plan to do with them in future years.

I will then move on to showing you my U20 Training Programme, with a little explanation on why I have set it up like this. What I have not done is outlined any improvements to the Facilities / Coaching Staff / Director of Football, mainly because I have done some things…but not as much as I could have done in a better league and/or bigger club. A good post on all of that, in order to [hopefully] improve your youth intakes, can be found on FM Samo’s blog which I will link here.

Finally, I conclude today’s post with a look at the Opening Semi Final Group Stage and ‘The Ghost Final’, a once in a lifetime Football Manager experience (I hope). Let’s begin…¡Vamos!

Junior Club: Meet the Young Guns

(1) High-profile External Signing

“Smells like he sounds, he’s lost in a crowd. And he’s hungry like the wolf”: 14 league goals in 18 starts in 2022 so far.

I signed 18-year-old attacker Jhon Durán in the same week that he agreed a real-life MLS move to Chicago Fire. Durán is from the famed Envigado academy and is one of the most exciting domestic talents in Colombia, it is no wonder that he was one of my main targets. His talents obviously don’t come cheaply, having scored 17 goals (all comps) in 2021…it took an initial €1.5m to take him to the Caribbean Coast. With performance based achievements, such as winning the Copa Libertadores (lol) and scoring 50 goals, it could rise up-to €2.5m.

I am trying to think long-term with young players and predicting future moves, which open up an opportunity in my First XI. With a release clause remaining in Matías Arezo’s contract (which is proving difficult for the DoF to remove) I see Jhon Durán as the ideal replacement for the No.9 shirt. Despite initially being 2nd choice in the Advanced Forward role he’ll get gametime (hence his Squad Player agreed role), especially with Arezo heading off to International Duty from time-to-time and also the move to a front two (discussed last time out). This will mean that I can also field both Durán & Arezo together. Initially, I am giving him a Technical focus on Shooting, but I also need to improve that Composure too.

(2) Homegrown Academy player

Juan Aragón.

Despite being rated 3rd in potential by the Coach Report, I feel as if Juan Aragón is my top youth prospect from the 2022 intake. The Director of Football has sealed a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2025, and I immediately trained him as an Inverted Winger. I chose this role not only because it fits into my current 4-4-2, but I feel it makes him a bit more transferable, in the sense that I could shift him over to the right wing and be a traditional Winger one day too; as both Winger and Inverted Winger focus on Crossing when players are working on Individual Roles.

Note - it’s worth pointing out that there’s no need for me to get overly hung up on role/duty training at this stage with youth players, young players can go in a lot of directions when 15/16 years of age. Also, a large number of my U20 sessions (as I will show a bit later) are team based…it’s only until they get to the First Team where I go full-on with Match Preparation (in order to get those tasty Upcoming Match bonuses), which often lead to players working as units on attributes from their individual roles instead of predefined attributes (see - Attacking Movement, Defensive Shape, Corners and Freekicks as examples).

In short, my First Team training differs substantially to that of the U20s. For the First Team I train with the next few games in mind (‘Train To Win’ as FM Samo would call it), whereas for the U20s I take a more long-term/holistic view. The results are on the training pitch, as opposed to the league table at the end of the season.

To get back on point…the big question with Juan Aragón, and one I always deliberate on with certain roles, is whether to train Supportive or Attack in a player. I chose Inverted Winger on Support because I would rather him concentrate on improving Stamina (9) and Work Rate (6) rather than Anticipation (10) and Flair (16), which are already quite strong for somebody who is 15. Is this the right decision? I don’t know, but I am happy with it nevertheless.

Juan Aragón Training.

You will see I have asked Juan Aragón to learn ‘Tries Tricks’, which is a nice South American-esque trait to have in my system. I am hoping it’s something that Juan can easily add to his game, seeing that he already has strong Technique (15) and capable of doing the unpredictable (Flair 16).

(3) An Affiliate Player (from Barranquilla FC)

Pabue Casiani.

The third and final player to introduce today is Pabue Casiani. Paube is from the Barranquilla Fútbol Club academy, which is owned by Junior Club. Many of the homegrown Junior players in real-life have either played or come out of Barranquilla FC in their careers. It was an obvious attraction in choosing Junior in FM21, as I can move players freely between both clubs.

 

This is a meme that parodies Junior Club asking Barranquilla FC for players.

 

Barranquilla Fútbol Club play in the league below, so it’s a good staging ground to give minutes to players hungry for gametime. In the case of Paube Casiani, he had a year of first team football at 16/17, but I am bringing him into Junior Club for a 6-12 month period to intensively work on him and see if I can Mentor a better personality and place some suitable traits on him. He has a great reading of the defensive game (Positioning 15) and will mark opponents really well (Marking 15), so it makes sense for me to train the ‘Marks Opponent Tightly’ trait.

Pabue Casiani Training.

I am once again working a young player hard with double intensity and an additional focus, seeing as our U20s do not play as often as our First Team. I am not doing anything fancy with him (standard Central Defender), other than telling him to double down on Decisions, Marking and Positioning. He is physically decent for a 17-year-old, so after 6 months I might work on some of the Technicals in order to see them rise as quick wins (raising lower attributes seem to be easier to boost up, providing there is potential ability there to eat into).

What has surprised me about Paube is how well he took to First Team football during 2021. I tried him out at the start of my switch to a 4-4-2, after being frustrated by my current CBs in the 4-2-3-1 DM, and he never looked back. Paube Casiani (referred to as simply ‘The 17-year-old in my previous blog post) did not really put a foot wrong, playing the remaining 10 games of the traditional Opening Stage season (Read more about overturning Misery here). I didn’t want to drop him, as I had no grounds to, and as my friend Ondrej says: “He doesn’t care how young he is”. I couldn’t describe it any better to be honest.

Junior Club: U20 Training Programme

I’ve mentioned numerous times on the blog that having a structure in place for First Team training is proving difficult, mainly due to the sheer quantity of matches played each year (70-90 per season). This means that there is a big focus on endurance and fitness in the season’s lead up and then match preparatory and recovery sessions during mid-season. The weeks of having a structured 7 day plan, with no travel or matches, are very few and far between. But the U20 side is somewhere where I can heavily focus on applying a technical training model, as the youth usually play just once a week (often a Thursday).

You may be wondering why I haven’t started this already, seeing that we’re now 12 months into the save. The answer is that there wasn’t much point! We had zero players in the U20 squad last year and those that could have been eligible to play were needed for the First Team. However, with the 1st intake arriving in January 2022 and a few external youth signings arranged in order to add some depth…we’re ready to dial in to some youth development with some custom schedules.

Youth Training is split into a balanced 4-week-cycle of custom schedules (below), with a slight favouring towards Physical and Technical development. Week 1’s aim is to boost Physicals, it’s rather demanding but I figure this is what younger players need in order to get them from youth squads and into South American First Team football in 2-3 years. I’ve staggered the most intense days in order to avoid burnout and injuries - those days are: Mondays, Thursdays (Match Day) and Saturdays.

We then move on to Technical, Attacking and Defending/Goalkeeper weeks. Each of these weeks end with a solitary physical and recovery session and days often start with General team based training. I like the idea of getting them all in together during the morning session, before breaking them off into more focussed groups via drills or units. I’m unsure if this is the best schedule you can apply to your squad, but it’s my balanced approach:

U20 Training Programme.

To select Custom Training Schedules, simply use drop down in the Training/Calendar section (Green box). Then click on your Custom Schedules (Red box) and that’s where your custom ones will sit (Yellow box). You can schedule a whole calendar year in one go OR just work from week-to-week, it’s up to you.

Custom Schedules.

A further breakdown and insight as to why I choose certain session can be found below:

Week 1 - U20s Physical - 1 Match

  • Emphasis on Physical development with five fitness based sessions.

  • Three Technical sessions (two in units and one as a team).

  • Four General team sessions and a team Bonding included as a low impact activity.

Week 2 - U20s Technical - 1 Match

  • Emphasis on Technical development with seven technical based sessions.

  • Quickness session to focus 100% on three attributes: Acceleration, Agility and Pace.

  • Five General team sessions, often kick starting the day.

Week 3 - Attacking - 1 Match U20s

  • Emphasis on Attacking development with seven six attacking sessions (a mix of Set Pieces and Units).

  • Resistance session inside the gym, to work on power and strength.

  • Five General team sessions, often kick starting the day.

Week 4 - Defending and Goalkeeping - 1 Match U20s

  • Emphasis on Defensive & Goalkeeping development with ten defensive sessions (a mix of Set Pieces, Team and Units).

  • Endurance session to round off a mild week of training before heading into the exhausting Physical week again.

  • Outfield and Possession team training to keep squad together.

Junior Club: Mentoring

I make a general rule that players near to, or exceeding, the 100 First Team Matches Played statistic are not really going to benefit from Mentoring at all, even if they are in the prime years for it. In 2022, none of the First Team young guns are going to be in Mentoring Groups…they’ve either played too many games OR are already established players in the Team Hierarchy. Instead, I am adding some of the U20 squad to mix with older and influential First Teamers in units during pre-season and before the U20 matches start. My approach is to have two or three young guys with an older head, preferably with a defensive and attacking split of groups in order to get sensible player traits passed over (another benefit of the mix).

Young First Teamers.

Mentoring Groups.

Note - I added the aforementioned Pabue Casiani and Carlos Cantillo (another player from Barranquilla FC) to the First Team units for Mentoring early on in the season. Simply: Training>Units>Add Reserve/U20 players and select the players you want to mentor.

I have already spoken about how quickly Paube Casiani has taken to First Team football, and he’s now in the mentoring group as a proper First Teamer. But I plan to give the Carlos Cantillo match experience towards taste of some gametime in the 2nd half of 2022 (more on this later). At this point in time, I will simply add him to the First Team Squad and he will therefore not need to be added manually to the Units. Why? Because there is a danger that U20’s training overworks a player before/after a First Team game e.g. an U20 Endurance/Resistance Monday after a Sunday First Team game.

Season 2022: Apertura

The Ghost Final

My last blog post dealt with the subject of FM Misery and the resurrection of Ojeda’s Junior. We had made the Semi Final stage on the last day of the ‘normal’ Opening Stage. We would therefore enter a group with top of the table Atlético Nacional, Deportivo Pasto and of course…Leones FC. We came up short against Nacional but managed to win the rest, which is enough to see us progress to the two legged Opening Final. This would once again be Junior Vs Millonarios, a repeat of the 2021 Closing Stage final.

Semi Final Group A results.

However this may always end up as ‘The Ghost Final‘, seeing that FM did not schedule it in time before the Closing Stage kicks off on 18 June 2022. I am really not sure what happens here. I’m in the 2022 World Cup year…so the Closing Stage is already cut short by 3 months, but also retains the same amount of games. It raises bigger questions about the future of the save, if the Opening Final can’t be played and the Opening Stage of 2023 doesn’t renew. Then there is the further complication of what happens with Copa Libertadores Group Stage qualification, which this final would resolve. From a brief perusal of other people’s saves, I am however semi-confident things will adjust and FM will catch up with the scheduling. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I will play through the Closing Stage and hope that the Ghost Final appears to resolve the Opening Stage, and things adjust back to some kind of normality in 2023.

The Unlikely Hero

The aforementioned Carlos Cantillo was the unlikely hero of the Opening Semi Final Group Games. With big injuries to Jhon Durán and Matías Arezo in the first two games of the Semi Final Groups, I was left with playing Cantillo upfront with Santiago Tréllez…effectively my 3rd and 4th best strikers at the club. But I guess, attributes and reputation do not matter in Football Manager 2021…Carlos Cantillo played amazing in the Advanced Forward role: 196 Semi Final minutes played and 4 goals! On the face of it, he shouldn’t be starting Opening Stage finals…yet he would have been there on merit:

Carlos Cantillgol?

I will be keeping Carlos with me now in the First Team, and I am sure I can give him more minutes in the relentless 2022 Closing Stage which will see us play 2-3 times a week over 4 months in order to be finished in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Heck, he may even get to play in the Ghost Final…if it makes an appearance one day.

So, that’s my mid-2022 update. I think the next few months in Barranquilla are going to be a bit of a whirlwind, games every 3-4 days as we rush to complete domestic duties before the 2022 World Cup. A lot remains up in the air, continental qualification and title deciders are still pending…but it’s a lot of South American fun. We’re putting the building blocks in place over the last two posts: a new-look 4-4-2 and now with an outlined approach with Youth Training. La Plata: Colombia will hopefully start charting the special era for Junior Club very soon.

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

“Misery” - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

Previously on La Plata: Colombia, Hugo Ojeda’s Junior won a Closing Stage title.

We play Football Manager to escape reality, and that reality is pretty shit at times. So, it’s only fair that you want Football Manager to produce good moments, or at least more good moments than bad ones.

Usually my save update posts are not reactionary. They’re often written during a period of reflection at the mid or end points of a season, where I take a few days away from the game. But today’s post finds me at a low of ebb, in the middle of a painful Opening Stage that is making me miserable.

Our first season was good, I had won a league title live on stream with my mate Samo, and we played some nice football to boot. These were good moments. Our second season so far has been bad, containing several bad moments…Mourinho-esque, in the sense that a title winning approach suddenly stopped working and was getting found out. Did I ever have a magic tactic? No. Was it masked by good set pieces, a bit of luck and some incredible form? Probably a bit, yeh. I therefore need an intervention, a pause…in order to reflect and try to remedy the misery.

It’s where this blog post takes place, directly in the middle of despair and 14th in the Opening Stage (after 10 games). I’m writing this post in real-time as I play, like a diary I guess - so it’s rather experimental from me. I plan to re-evaluate, respond and [hopefully] recover but I don’t even know if what I will do will work. That’s the daunting part. I certainly think as a ‘creator’, and long term player, I feel as if I should know what to do at all times. But, honestly, it’s not always like that at all.

So, join me in my misery and if not…well, thank you for the hit anyway.

Let’s begin…

Misery: The Scene

I think setting out the crime scene like this will help me try to solve the several atrocities I’ve seen in this Opening Stage. From the onset though, I want to be clear: I will walk away from Junior if we fail on two counts: (1) we fail to reach top 8, and miss out on the Semi Final stage, and (2) we finish bottom of our rather fortunate Copa Libertadores Group. Doing both in my view would be unacceptable, despite the Board being content with simply making the Libertadores Group Stage.

12 March 2022

12 March 2022 was the lowest moment of my save. We had been beaten at home to newly promoted Leones Fútbol Club, who with 0.12 xG…xG’ed me. My attack is stale, and, at the other end any shot we face at goal…we concede. It was similar away in Deportivo Pereira a week earlier, a 2-1 win for Junior disguising the fact that we conceded to the one and only shot at goal. A 0.08 xG shot from Wilfrido De La Rosa. Unlucky? Probably. But when my attack is nullified, suddenly games can be needlessly tight. Wins become draws and draws become…you get it. Defeats.

As you can see, we have lost 50% of games (all comps) in 2022: that’s 9 games out of 18 and means we sit 14th in the league table. Sure, the big wins Vs Petrolero and Bucarmanga show that we can score a bucket load in a single 90 minutes…but something is terribly wrong:

Misery Results.

Defence - We conceded 27 goals in 18 games (all comps), which is pretty horrific for a club as big as Junior. Especially when you factor in that we finished as Closing Champions just a few months ago, conceding just 8 in 20 games. I am always one to look for excuses, but I can’t imagine Centre Back Willer Ditta’s €4.4m departure to Club América being the cause and effect of all of this, and I would still maintain that Carlos Henao ought to be a capable stopgap; even just for a season. We also have a new Right Back in Cristian Arrieta (replacing Marlon Piedrahita)…but I still think it’s an upgrade. Our backline should be better. Why is it not?

Ditta Vs Henao (with BPD-D highlighted).

Attack - We said goodbye to 2021 Closing Stage hero Michael Rangel, who left for the bright lights of INTER Miami. In his place we made solid replacements in Santiago Tréllez and Colombian Wonderboy Jhon Durán. The terrific trio of Campaz-Arezo-Cetré remain, but the majority of their goals are missing - just 11 goals between them (all comps). Why?

2022 attacking signings.

From January to March, we would predominantly play the Ojeda-Ball 4-2-3-1 DM formation, in rare games (like away in Bolivia Vs Oriente Petrolero) I would play a lower intensity ‘in the clouds’ 4-4-2 to equally disastrous effects. Our set-up has had a few tweaks over time and I kind of feel I lost my way with it, I often make changes in isolation and then don’t revert things back or take a holistic view when I should. To bring you up-to-speed here is how we set up in the home game Vs Leones (12 March 2022):

Misery Tactic Vs Leones.

You’re seeing the above tactic after a few adjustments I made in the few games leading up to Leones, as FM Pressure was kind enough to have a look at it over on Slack. We adjusted the DMs (swapping them over and also changing DM-D to DM-S) and advised not to have a ST role that would roam from position (as this could conflict with the Raumdeuter). Although we got that narrow away win Vs Deportivo Pereira, I still was not happy with how things looked with the three games I tried it. The attack appears out of form and the 12 March home defeat Vs Leones was the final straw (and thus acts as the point at which I break to write this piece).

Misery: The Analysis

So, what’s the plan? Well, I always have a plan…even when there is no plan. I’m going to play slow and stream Comprehensive Highlight matches (aka SemiVirginFM), because the playback means I can catch up on a few things the day after, without being on my gaming laptop. I won’t tell anybody…some of my 1s of Twitch followers may notice, and if they are reading this now then “Hi, that’s why bitches”. In total, that’s fourteen 25-30 minute streams over a 2 week period that will have already happened by the time you read this (10 league and 4 Copa Libertadores). But before we get to see how those games play out, let’s chat FM anal and tactics…dialling in, as if it’s 24 Heures du Mans.

FM Analysis

I’m not a big lover of the Average Positions maps these days, I don’t really find them meaningful…despite a lot of FM content I’ve read using them. Averages can be misleading…I think it’s the case too when you’re recording players’ movements, who inherently run up-and-down a pitch in fits-and-starts. I’d much rather focus on touches, passes etc…things that aren’t averages but actually happened. However, these remain broken in FM21’s Analysis screen, so I’m focusing on a few other bits in order to break down my misery…with the help of two former somebodies, one from Championship Manager fame and the other from the Deep Lying Podcast (RIP). I’ll start with the better known legend.

Hernán Crespo, when managing at Banfield, said something about 3-4 years ago that has stuck with me ever since. I can’t find the direct quote right now, but it was to do with Strikers in a tactic not working. He compared Strikers to being the thermostat of the team, where you can gauge your tactic to see how ‘hot’ it is. It’s true, we often naturally gravitate towards criticising the Striker on a poor run of form…but we really ought to be looking at the supply feeding that striker. But before I look at my own thermostat, I first want to see what has made the AI so effective against me this year. Can I do anything defensively to stop the rot, in order to cool down their strike force? Seeing I’ve finally accepted I need to do something.

 

I re-watched and mapped Season 2’s assists against me from open play.

 

What can we glean from the above? Well, former podcaster turned gravy connoisseur, Ed Wilson, looked over the above graphic for me. He said:

“From those assist locations it doesn’t seem like your DMs are providing much defensive security within 30 yards of goal centrally”.

Ed makes a good point. By playing two DMs, I would demand a certain level of protection from through balls. Especially from within Zone 14 which is the Holy Grail for assist making…it’s the sweet spot statistically for your players to get into and create. Good news for the AI, I’ve got an open door for them to come and do this. 33% of goals against me are created from Zone 14. Ed goes on to say:

“MCs will press urgently higher up the pitch than DMs”.

Again, I can’t argue with the guy…I can either push forward the defensive line or consider more advanced midfielder roles at MC. I suppose it was the initial Day 1 personnel I had at DM that encouraged me to go down the route of a deep double pivot. It also feels very South American to have Volantes and DMs…but perhaps it’s not doing us any favours. If I target one area to fix, I think it’s here…because down the wings we seem relatively solid. However, I may want to look at what’s happening at Left Back.

This is enough about countering the opposition and cutting off their supply. I’ve already seen that we’re pretty dominant with the ball with my own eyes, but yet stale at the same time. We need to play to our strengths & create chances more than we need to stop the opposition. So, we flip the assist locations FOR Junior this time round…where are we creating and, more importantly, where are we not?:

 

My assists! Genuinely surprised with the variety here.

 

I once again gave Ed the Slack DM exclusive of the assists for Junior and here is what he said:

“Slight right sided bias there would hope your AML would have more goals with those crosses from the right...”

The Raumdeuter in my attack last year was terrific (with 16 goals and 23 assists over 55 games)…yet this year Jaminton Campaz has really struggled (2 goals and 1 assist over 12 games). Form could still pick up, however Ed is once again correct in the sense that my right side does seem to be creating goals…just not for him. So, the Raumdeuter is hardly scoring or assisting, perhaps a passenger right now that is making things harder for us. I fire up a screenshot of Campaz for Ed and he likes him as an attacking Inverted Winger:

“He would be a perfect IW-A”

Ok Ed, calm down.

What can else can we glean from the above image?

  • Attacking variety seems surprisingly good (I was expecting worse).

  • Something needs to change on the left side.

  • Personally want more from Zone 14, especially as I have been playing with a No.10 all year (either an Enganche or Supportive Attacking Midfielder).

So, I’m off to the Team Report screen…to remind myself what FM says we’re good at. I wrote a piece for The Byline on this, so I won’t cover old ground. In a nutshell, FM says:

  1. The players have high Composure, good Decisions and Vision/Creativity.

  2. We’re above average, but not league leaders, in five of the 8 Physical attributes.

  3. League leaders for Crossing & Technique.

Old Tactic Vs New Tactic

It’s important to stress that I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I think changing from a more positive mindset to a catenaccio for example will be too much of a change and could have serious short-term detrimental effects. I want to adapt, taking the above pointers from FM Pressure, Hernán Crespo, Ed Wilson Gaming Ltd and Carlos Valderrama. I also want to limit our noticeable weaknesses and play to our strengths, so on this basis:

Two banks of four. I’ve highlighted movement instructions to help me visualise how it could morph.

In terms of tactical familiarity we remain fluid in all but the roles and duties, as I have left Mentality, Passing and out of possession Pressing as it was in the 4-2-3-1 DM. Things I changed and why:

  • Moved DMs up to MC. We’ve got a Playmaker holding position who I am hoping has four players ahead of him to pick out. The partner at the moment is a Central Midfielder on Support. I need to keep an eye on how he behaves, I am hoping he just stays central and recycles the ball to the DLP.

  • I have felt for a while now that Matías Arezo is struggling as the lone forward. I think having an industrious partner supporting Arezo will let him focus on being the main goal threat. He’ll have a Winger crossing from wide, an Inverted Winger cutting inside and a supportive older head in Santiago Tréllez alongside him - who suits a pressing role with Aggression/Bravery of 15 and Teamwork 13 and Work Rate 14.

  • Shifting the Wingers down is a reaction to moving the DMs up. But both Campaz and Cetré are comfortable at ML/MR. Still, I have shifted everybody up via the defensive line, we may need to watch out for long balls…but I want to counter that obvious soft centre we’ve had so far in 2022. If the opposition playmakers do have the ball, it will hopefully be higher up the pitch and further away from our penalty area.

  • Removed Work Ball Into The Box and Counter Press, I think it’s best to strip back right now and see how we do without them.

Misery: The Results

I think my FM pen pals know when I get really miserable with the game, and I had a few people check in with me which sounds dramatic but genuinely appreciated! One of them was FM underscore Samo who wrote to me:

“Even a loss every now and again is acceptable, but it’s when it’s a run like this and you don’t know what else to do it’s fucking annoying”.

Very cute, but seriously, it made me realise that I need to grudgingly accept a few defeats in the next 14 games. We’ll be adjusting the tactic and tweaking as we go, and it’s only fair I won’t get this 100% right from the off. We may have less of the ball than before, or have a few off days…but if the chances I create are better and if my soft centre is better protected…then I’ll be happy. Remember: Top 8 in the league, and not bottom in my Copa Liberatores Group. ¡Vamos!

Team Meeting

Before I get to playing games, I feel as if this is a fresh start for me in virtual 2022. I’ve had a few real-life days break from the game…and I’m happy with my thought processes. So, I’m doing the unthinkable…and getting the boys together for a Team Meeting, often deemed a reckless act from what I see on FM Twitter. But why be scared now? I need morale to be higher, because quite frankly we’re in a rut. I set them a little challenge:

Straight away, Matías Arezo is up for it. He rallies the boys and agrees with me, so I go back and tell them that this is “exactly the sort of reaction I was after”. Cue some minor improvements to green morale and body language gains.

March

We’re all set. March concludes with four games: Argentine Primera B and 2021 Copa Argentina Winners Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at home in the Copa Libertadores. Before away domestic trips to Once Caldas & Millonarios and a 30th March tie at home to Envigado. I’ve told myself that I’d break at this point to review the new look 4-4-2.

What a way to kick off…0-0 against Estudiantes de Río Cuarto. The Argentine side did not have a single shot on target, but we were not much better…only managing to get 3 shots on goal with 7 off target. Abel Casquete was the bright spark on the right wing. The positive is that we got a much needed clean sheet (our first in 6 games). But bigger tests await, it’s too early to make changes just yet. The side was experimental, a 17-year-old at Centre Back in a makeshift defence as we rested several players. But the attack is still dull.

Wait a minute, the attack is not dull! After training some Attacking Wing Play and Movement…we just beat Once Caldas 4-1 away from home with an xG total that we’ve not had for weeks (xG 3.05). Young Durán came in upfront with Arezo moved into the supportive Pressing Forward role, and he immediately made an impact. A Durán goal on 45 seconds with the help from a well-timed Jaminton Campaz through ball, who had positioned himself into the half space (Inverted Winger, eh). 21 minutes later and Durán had been released from direct through ball, no need to take a touch: GOLAZO. The Advanced Forward running into space for both goals, this is encouraging. We then conceded to a similar lofted ball over the top a minute later…I didn’t panic but did see a similar direct ball again in the 2nd half so dropped out backline to Standard. Our last two goals were wonderful long shots from our supportive Central Midfielder (Leandro Pico)…being teed up by supportive Deep Lying Playmaker and Pressing Forward respectively. Much, much better!

The Misery Strikes Back. Despite us having a decent attempt away at Millonarios, we fall to a 2-0 defeat. I would say we had the better chances, but the shooting boots were left behind in Barranquilla. The defeat was helped by a haphazard bit of defending from a corner, with Right Back Cristian Arrieta booting the ball off the opposition Striker to make it 1-0 to Millonarios. Then a long ranger from the Millonarios Right Back with 6 mins to go sealed our fate…enough time though to see us hit the post. Santiago Tréllez racing through as an Attacking Pressing Forward (a minor tweak offered by FM Rensie on stream). Damn, just when I thought we could build on that Once Caldas result…we’re brought back down to Earth. Millonarios go 2nd, Junior drop back into 14th.

Before Envigado, there is a seven day break…the first time this season. We’d train a lot of Attacking sessions and I chucked in another Team Bonding…we need to make our home games count in the league now (with just three league home games left and five away). But I am worried, we’ve blanked two games in three with the new look 4-4-2…would we do it again? Nope, in actual fact we scored four again: Junior 4-0 Envigado. We dominated this game, Supportive Pressing Forward Arezo with a 1st half seven minute hat-trick, after Campaz had won and scored a penalty for us. I was rewarded in my continuation of the 4-4-2, with four Clear Cut Chances (shots in excess of xG 0.30) with one being the penalty.

With a night’s sleep and with four games now under my belt with this 4-4-2, is it worth persisting with? I certainly think we’re better off with it than the previous 4-2-3-1 DM. The Millonarios was a bad day at the office, having re-watched the stream I think both goals were not issues I can directly fix, the real issue in that game was that I could not score. We had the better chances and I am glad I did not tweak on the back of this defeat…as Envigado was a solid performance. Maybe the full week on the training ground practicing the attack now sets us up for April, which is pretty busy: eight games, with six of them away (including trips to Argentina and Brazil). April will make or break our Opening Stage. Remember: Top 8 in the league, and not bottom in my Copa Liberatores Group. ¡Vamos!

March results.

April

Before the big April Fools home game Vs América de Cali, a side often a thorn in my…side, I would consult with Ondrej (FM Rensie) on my set piece routine. It was good last year (reaching over double figures for goals) but quite poor this year, noticeably too with the 4-4-2. It turns out that switching between tactics is not good for the routines in your set piece creator, something I had in the back of my mind but never bothered to micro-manage. However, in a time where marginal gains are quite welcome, I rebuilt my Near Post routines afresh. In short we have:

  • Central Defender Diego Braghieri attacking the Near Post as the main threat. He has Bravery 17, Heading 15, Jumping Reach & Strength 14 and Off The Ball & Decisions 13.

  • To overload this area, Matías Arezo is lurking at the near post too. Heading 16, Off The Ball & Finishing 14, and Jumping Reach & Decisions 13. My next two bravest player would go to the Far Post.

  • Ondrej recommended trying the inswinging corner, so inverting right footers on left side and vice versa. Ball trajectory is naturally whipping in, I like it.

  • I also have one guy running in from the edge of the area (the best of the rest for Off The Ball) and then a player with decent First Touch and Long Shots lurking. My second CB (the 17-year-old), has a really poor score Off The Ball of 5…I would rather he made use of his high scores in Positioning, Marking and Tackling (15) by staying back. When he doesn’t play, I can consider tweaking this routine to bring the 2nd CB back into the attacking routine.

Near Post Routine.

Despite not scoring in the first two games with the corner routine…early signs are good. Arezo’s near post flick-on giving back post Durán a great chance to hit the post Vs América de Cali. It could, maybe should have been a goal, but luckily it wasn’t needed: a 3-1 home win. Next up was the 7-hour flight to Córdoba to face Estudiantes de Río Cuarto’s catenaccio. In a game of real frustration, with each side missing a penalty…the man signed up for the continental nights, Santiago Tréllez, scored the vital goal 14 minutes from time. I can’t say it was a tactical masterstroke from me, I tried to get my DLP more involved and advanced by switching to Roaming Playmaker…but I think our win was down to a bit of relentlessness and luck. Still, the history books will only remember the important statistic: Estudiantes de Río Cuarto 0-1 Junior Club.

Hopefully the history books will forget about the 1-1 away La Equidad, which saw Junior Club never really get going. Obviously, the team were just saving their energy for the 5-0 away win Vs Patriotas FC, a really strong team performance and evidence of a blossoming relationship between Arezo and Durán with their newly connecting green relationship link in the tactics screen. Five games now unbeaten and up to 8th in the league, domestically in form…now onto the penultimate Copa Libertadores Group match.

Atlético Mineiro 3-0 Junior Club. I dropped my mentality to Balanced and played the battering ram of Tréllez up top alongside red hot Durán…but we fell to a 2nd half hat-trick from Eduardo Sasha, who quite frankly plays outrageous in FM21. The defeat in Brazil leaves Junior bottom of the Copa Libertadores Group with a game to go. Nevertheless, we dusted ourselves down and responded back in Colombia with a 4-2 home league win Vs Deportes Tolima. The plaudits would go to hat-trick hero Jhon Durán, but in my opinion the game changed at half-time with Jaminton Campaz’s introduction. A goal and assist against his former club, good to see MythMike™️ still present in my save.

Away against Cortuluá we came up against a 3 central Striker formation and came unstuck (are these still OP?). I really should have countered against it pre-match by playing a DM or tweaking my defensive lines. Instead, I naively backed my 4-4-2; buoyed by the recent good form and simply asked one of my Full Backs to sit narrower. Ineffective. Cortuluá would counter us in the 2nd half with a three on two: Cortuluá 1-0 Junior Club. The final match in April, and the penultimate of the Opening Stage league campaign, was away at Cúcuta Deportivo. Once again FM Misery continues, my soul honestly can’t take much more of this shite. We fall to a 4-3 defeat. We sit 8th going into the final match…only on goal difference to 9th place América de Cali. The next home match, to bring FM Misery full circle, is Leones Fútbol Club away. Would we overcome our demons? Before we find that out, we have to face Alianza Lima at home in the final Libertadores Group game. Lose and we’re bottom of the group, draw and we’ll probably drop into the Sudamericana (providing Atlético Mineiro beat Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at home) and a win would see us dream of the Libertadores knockouts.

One league game to go (unless your Santa Fe and Bucaramanga who play after the regular season finishes for most due to a Sudamericana fixture backlog).

Remember: Top 8 in the league, and not bottom in my Copa Liberatores Group. ¡Vamos!

May

Misery: Junior Club 0-2 Alianza Lima. We’ve thrown away hopes of continuing continental football into 2022. It turned out in the end that I’d have needed a win, seeing that Estudiantes de Río Cuarto grabbed an unlikely 1-1 draw in Brazil. From looking imperious in the way we went about playing a few weeks ago, we now look feeble all over the side. To the credit of Lima, they came and played football…the same can’t be said for my forwards who are becoming fatigued. We have failed the first of two objectives. Misery’s dagger is implanted in my torso, it only needs to make one final twist and the job is done. On to Leones away…the game that kick started this blogpost and the game that finishes it.

Fucked it.

In the lead up to Leones, I encouraged the tired faces around me during yet another Team Meeting. Once again we have green reactions and I schedule in Match Preparation and Team Bonding sessions. On match day, I decided that we’d start on a Balanced mentality…ease our way into the game before seeing if we should take a riskier approach. Four of the match day XI are fatigued, but I choose to start them anyway. Like in the Closing Stage Final 6 months earlier, I want every bit of energy left on the pitch.

0-0 at HT. We moved to Positive mentality, seeing as América de Cali had leapfrogged us by going ahead in the Cali Derby; we were now outside of the Play-Off rounds. However, on minute 49….

Cetré Cetré Cetré!

Tactical Genius? Probably not. But just like in FM20, Edwuin Cetré saves Hugo Ojeda once again. Back up to 6th in the league table, I’m frantically tweaking like a mad man throughout the rest of the half. We drop back to Balanced, our Deep Lying Playmaker is now on Defend and my heart rate is up at least by 10bpms. This bloody team won’t let me rest easy, it takes until 90+2 until we make it safe: Santiago Tréllez heading in from close range to complete the nervy win.

Junior Club 2-0 Leones. No need to walk away from this club just yet, we’ve turned the domestic fortunes around and qualified for the Semi Final Group Stage. Sing it with me, if only to celebrate getting this far into such a long blog post…

“I’m not leaving”

TL;DR

Too long; didn’t read?

  • We won a league title last year, but maybe we were not as good as I thought we were. 4 months later we’re awful.

  • So, I addressed the weakness of a soft centre and changed to a 4-4-2.

  • We won more than we lost, and this post acts a cautionary tale of how to be less shit at the game.

I would like to thank the guys mentioned previously in this post, for the help and support through my FM Misery. I will be back soon to update on how the Opening Semi Final Stage went and take a look to the exciting future at Junior Club, which I am pleased/thankful to once more be part of.

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"El Toque" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 

I made a 2020 collage, just for you.

 

Happy New Year. Can you ever complete Football Manager?

The answer, for most at least, is likely ‘No’. So then, what’s the closest thing to completing Football Manager? Is it a rags to riches rise up the domestic leagues, a Homegrown XI that wins the top continental prize or a MoneyBall™ assembled squad punching above its weight against oligarch owned Super Clubs? OR is it that one goal that takes your breath away…a moment so euphoric that Football Manager doesn’t get any better than that particular moment in time?

On the 15 December 2020 I believe I came close to completing Football Manager (in my way at least).

It was a goal scored from a fluid passing move that involved all outfield players, including a beautiful interchange between the young Junior Club foursome of Edwuin Cetré, Jaminton Campaz, Gabriel Fuentes and new No.9 signing Matías Arezo. 999 times out of a 1,000 it would be a move that ends with a blocked cross or misplaced pass (and I’ve probably seen that happen more than 1,000 times). But on this day (17 July 2021 in-game) the FM Gods had decided that El Toque (a style of football I’ve set about trying to impose on my virtual players) would come home to Hugo Ojeda’s Junior Club.

It signalled the start of a good domestic run for Barranquilla‘s best club side. But was it enough to earn some silverware? Read on to discover the conclusion to La Plata: Colombia’s first season in Football Manager 2021, which also contains some free childcare tips and a man’s descent into madness…

Season 2021: Clausura

Two new signings

I said goodbye to Miguel Borja last time on the blog, whilst shedding manly tears. The 28-year-old Forward had hit an astonishing 25 goals during the first 5 months of 2021 and I knew that his replacement would have to slot straight into the side and score immediately in order for us to remain competitive. Luckily I did not have a problem, our Director of Football’s new signing Matías Arezo scored with his first touch 3 minutes into this debut:

Arezo Vs Deportiva Pereira 11.07.2021

Arriving from Uruguay for €950k after being transfer listed by River Plate (Montevideo), 18-year-old ‘Arezogol’ has been a revelation. It doesn’t surprise me too much, seeing that so many FMers have had success with him previously, but there was still an element of risk about him given his young age. But after 15 goals in 24 starts (all competitions), Arezogol is the No.9 we build around. The only troublesome headache we have is the €2.5m release clause (for foreign clubs) inserted into his contract, but I am hoping that our DoF can either increase that value, or remove it, in contract renegotiations in 2022.

Our second mid-season signing was bringing in the experience of Diego Braghieri at Centre Back. He ticked all my boxes when his scout report arrived after the Short-Term Focus finished: experienced, left footed, match-fit and adaptable. Not only this, it weakened a rival: Apertura winners Atlético Nacional, who had transfer listed Braghieri for an initial €30k (rising to €70k). It’s a bizarre decision (for the AI to sell like this), given that the Argentine Centre Back was one of the best defensive performers over the first 5 months of domestic football with 0 Key Tackles.

 

Thanks to @SgtRedPhoenix who has knocked me up some nice Junior kits this year.

 

‘Arezogol’

Diego ‘Braggers’

What did I expect from these two signings? My honest answer: more clean sheets and enough goals to ease the pain of Borja’s departure. Where would it lead us? Read on.

Categoría Primera A - Clausura

A few weeks into the Clausura season we got a new FM patch (and an update to ME version 21.4.0). I decided to leave my 4-2-3-1 DM tactic unchanged in order to see how it performed (a tactic I discussed last time out) . In theory, if it’s a balanced tactic (with good variety in attack), we should not see anything too detrimental to the post-patch performances…as ME patches should fix known issues/exploits; not make things worse. Performances did improve under the new patch, and for the first time in this save I was no longer conceding from the repetitive long goalkeeper kick to advanced striker’s toe punt. My back four also appeared to be more composed on the ball, and they were able to transition the ball safely from back-to-front, perhaps helped with the two Defensive Midfielders linking up with the El Toque-like instructions to pass shorter.

Clausura results.

A run of five games in August/September without conceding a goal saw us break free of our rivals at the top of the Clausura table. A little dip in September losing back-to-back league games against Millonarios and Envigado grounded my sense of invincibility, but a strong run of seven games without conceding (6 wins and 1 draw) saw us finish the league with a 10 point lead on rivals. Once again, Atlético Junior had topped the domestic table…but this really meant nothing, as we moved into the Semi Group Stages (recap: two groups of four playing one another home and away…with group winners playing each other home and away to determine the Clausura Winner).

I would say it was burnout that stopped us winning the Apertura last time round. We ran out of gas in the 3rd Semi Final group fixture and never recovered…I was determined not to do the same in the Clausura. So, we carefully rotated around the squad (resting those when I could) in the final few weeks of the season, and I was suitably confident in our ability to field around 15-20 different players during the course of six fixtures in a two week period.

DRAWHOPPER™

Any hope of a good start was extinguished with three games without a win, including a 2-1 defeat to bogey side América de Cali. Sitting bottom at the halfway point was pretty damning, Young and inconsistent Arezo had been dropped for soon-to-be Inter Miami Striker Michael Rangel…his goals Vs Santa Fe and Deportivo Paso proving vital in our resurgence to set up the final round face up with Cali. An excruciatingly painful 1-1 home draw with Cali, courtesy of a Diego Braghieri 2nd half equaliser, put us top on goal difference. Phew.

Millonarios would be our opponents in the two legged final, a side who delivered similar Semi Final Group heroics (by also being bottom after three games). It perhaps shows the unpredictable nature of the Colombian later stages, and it’s refreshing to experience this league system. What probably wasn’t refreshing was a Full Match DRAWHOPPER™ streamed live on Twitch to about ten other lost souls on the Internet. The away leg finished 1-1, Michael Rangel keeping his place upfront (over Arezogol) in the side and delivering another Final Stage goal (I have FromElevenOne to thank for encouraging me to believe in form).

Away goals do not count in these fixtures, so we went into the 2nd leg on a Positive Mentality, as I felt we needed to exert our home advantage. Streamed live on Twitch, with Scottish FM Co-Commentator @FM_Samo, we decided to start with Michael RanGOL once again. The big headache was the fitness of Enganche (Sherman Cárdenas) and Wide Players (Edwuin Cetré & Jaminton Campaz). Given that this was the 70th and final game of the calendar year…we’d just go for it. One last push and hope there is something left in the tank to beat Millonarios…and…

…we did it! Mostly thanks to Cárdenas (and not VAR who cruelly ruled out a majestic Cetré strike). Sherman scored an early golazo and created the 2nd in what Samo described as “a great time to score a second goal”. Michael Rangel once again proving his worth to the side with a vital goal, his fourth goal in 5 games. In terms of Cárdenas, our Colombian No.10’s condition was close to breaking point on the hour mark; and we therefore subbed him off. I would be lying if I said the last 10-15 minutes were in no way nervy, especially with Millonarios getting a goal back and climbing the xG charts to near parity by Full Time…but we did it!

Hugo Ojeda has delivered a league title to Junior Club of Baranquilla and El Toque had been central to it.

Cárdenassssssss!

Copa Colombia

Before that league title win (and subsequent qualification to the Copa Libertadores), the Copa Colombia was my easiest route into the 2022 Copa Libertadores Group Stages (with the winner gaining automatic entry), so it’s a trophy I was taking very seriously. We had the romance of going back to Carlos Valderrama’s home side of Unión Magdalena, where we saw them put in a spirited 2nd leg performance against us that El Pibe would have been proud of. The heartache came against Cali though. Leading the tie and going into the last 4 minutes, we conceded and went on to lose the penalty shootout. 2-0 up and cruising at HT and then to go on and lose like that, sickening 🤮!

América de Cali would go on to lose to Deportivo Pereira in the 2021 Copa Colombia Final. Justice.

The Benefits Of The Mix

So, it was a successful domestic Closing campaign, rounding off a very solid 2021…but what’s the main reason in my opinion? Ok, stick with me…

FM Grasshopper Childcare Scenario 1: Imagine eleven toddlers (2-year-olds if we want to be precise) going up a large flight of stairs with just the one carer guiding them. A small majority make decent advances, a few struggle in the early steps…and one or two outright refuse and have a tantrum. The carer is in Hell right now. Understandably.

FM Grasshopper Childcare Scenario 2: Now let’s imagine the scene differently. In the eleven young adventurers, we now have a couple of 4-year-olds and a trio of 3-year olds in place of some of the 2-year-olds. Whilst the carer is ready to help the youngest, he/she can instruct the eldest to give helping hands to guide the rest. We still have eleven kids, but the carer is no longer stretched.

 

Not my staircase.

 

It’s not often you compare the advantages to mixing toddler age groups with that of your Football Manager First XI is it? But that’s what I am about to do. You see, by chance I’ve discovered that my 2021 Atlético Junior side was perfect in the way it found the balance with youth and experience. Not just in terms of the split in ages either, even the distribution of ages around the team’s positions matched up well too. In my First XI, there’s often been an experienced head alongside a younger one.

Atlético Junior 2021.

I like to think that this partly explains our good Clausura performances, which contained a great balance of defensive solidarity and offensive flair. During the 2021, we conceded on average 0.7 goals a game…and still top the league scoring charts with 103 goals (1.9 per game). The defence was commanded well by Goalkeeper/Captain/Legend Sebastián Viera with Defenders Diego Braghieri and Marlon Piedrahita also in regular attendance…a combined 49 years of pro football between those three guys. Were they barking orders and keeping the younger guys partnering them in check? In Attack, the experience of Sherman Cárdenas as our Enganche had the exuberance of youth around him as options to pass towards. Did we benefit from having a level and consistent head linking up with Ojeda’s young guns? I like to think so.

We will probably never know the full extent of the ‘benefits of the mix’, nor would I really want to know. But it’s a fun observation, and something I hadn’t deliberately tried to do on the onset of my first season with Atlético Junior. But equally something I now want to keep up going forward.

A Death Foretold

Staring out into Barranquilla’s sunset coastline, Hugo Ojeda took time to look back at the whirlwind 12 months he had spent in Colombia. His mind during the darker stage of twilight raced relentlessly around the issues of allies and enemies, business deals to conclude and associates to remove. But his thoughts would often end up on Father Martínez, the religious zealot who met his end back in the jungle.

The old man had always said he would die in the jungle, and he was proved right, Hugo Ojeda reflected. Father Martínez’s death signalled the start of Hugo’s night-time headaches, eased only by the medication prescribed by his personal Doctor. The drugs did their best in allowing Ojeda to deliver on-field success to Caribbean’s top club…but would the remedy last forever?

Hugo turned to the stained glass window that had been made in his image. The exceptional piece of craftsmanship had been removed from the same Chapel whilst Father Martínez laid chained to his alter, and was now hidden away in Hugo’s private office; with only Hugo and his most trusted associates able to lay their eyes on it. The window’s yellow colour appeared to be slightly tainted by the fire in places, with some tiles becoming a darker shade of orange and red. Odd, Hugo thought, considering it was removed before the fire had even started…yet the sun’s embers reflecting from the window’s surface reminded Hugo of the murder that took place that night in God’s room.

The effects from the medication were now starting to kick in, and Hugo felt tired.

He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the jungle fire once more.

An epic 1st season finally completed in Football Manager 2021, I must say that it was enjoyable! As always, thanks for reading/sharing & caring. I wish everybody a healthy and safe 2021.

Speak soon.

FM Grasshopper

"El Pibe and The Raumdeuter" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

Previously on La Plata: Colombia, Hugo Ojeda relocated a jungle settlement to the Caribbean Coast and set out his ambitions.

Intro

I don’t want to dwell too much on it, but I lost my original FM21 save. A few months of in-game playtime never blogged, in that time we (mostly via FM Slack) saw:

  1. Junior FC lose the Super Cup Final 3-1 on aggerate to América de Cali.

  2. Carlos Valderrama arrive as Hugo Ojeda’s Assistant Manager.

  3. Junior FC go unbeaten in the Copa Sudamericana Group Stage, with a gorgeous knockout match with FM20 club Club Atlético Peñarol lined up.

For a time, I felt like Neo in the transition area between the machine world and the Matrix itself; not totally sure what to do and where to go. But I’ve decided to restart on Football Manager 21.1.3 (me v21.3), with the aim to do similar things (i.e. Carlos Valderrama and 1 outfield signing), but also not deliberately throw away games I had lost.

Today’s update therefore covers January 2021 to June 2021, which includes the entirety of the Opening league campaign (known as Apertura) and the Copa Sudamericana Group Stages.

¡Vamos!

Startup + Pre-Season

I loaded all South American leagues and every South American player from the game’s database. I’ve added Mexico for the FM20 Ojeda narrative and also to hopefully continue Liga MX’s recruitment of South American players. The total player count comes to just under 60,000 players:

Training

Despite starting up the save in mid-December 2020, actual player training only took place from the end of that month. This meant it was a race against time to get ‘some’ level of tactical familiarity and fitness before the games arrived in early January. We just about made it, but it would have been better to have been able to set the players’ return date. Something I hope I have more control going into Season 2.

Now I am in mid-season, the games come thick and fast in Colombia which means there is limited time to train. I’ve only had a handful of uninterrupted seven day periods on the training ground. The more common weekly cycle is recovery and match preparation sessions in the lead up to games every two to three days. I am personally loving it, but I do hope to document some proper training approaches in a future post as I look to work on the U20 side of things. It can’t be right now though, as I only inherited three youth players in the Day 1 Junior Youth Setup with another six out on loan. It’s an area where I need to invest in during future years, but I quite like the idea of the clean canvass approach.

The intake will come in, and they will most likely earn U20 minutes right away and I can recruit around the edges. Perfecto.

“The Assistant Manager doesn’t solve the problems, he just points them out”

Whilst I agree with the above statement, I don’t really place much importance to the in-game advice I get from my assistant in Football Manager (I mean, why is he always telling me to change my mentality?!). I therefore prescribe to the romantic Assistant Manager appointments in my saves. In FM18 it was all about Estudiantes legend José Luis Brown (RIP) returning home to become Ángel Bastardo’s Assistant.

For FM21, it’s the man that personified Francisco Maturana‘s El Toque on the pitch: Carlos Valderrama. He’s got the Tactical Knowledge (16) and the Motivating (19) skills that any FM Blogger would envy, Junior FC love him too. I’ll probably follow his motivational team talk recommendations and stroke his fuzzy hair from time-to-time. That’s about it.

Welcome El Pibe!

Season 2021: Apertura

The Raumdeuter 🔥

I got the team down to the squad registration cap for Colombia: 30 players. But a few weeks into the season Liga MX came in for my left sided attacker: 30-year-old Fredy Hinestroza. I can’t really stop those in their prime from experiencing the bright lights of a better league, so I agreed to sell to Atlético San Luis. Fredy’s sale combined with another sale to Liga MX (Defender Dany Rosero to Toluca) generated around €400k. Combine that with our starting transfer budget (€2m) and I was sitting on a small fortune. I did what any sensible FMer would do in this situation, we bought a Wonderkid…

New signing Jaminton Campaz.

I am unsure if it’s a significant fee between Colombian clubs, but we’ve paid a considerable amount of Junior Club money for 20-year-old Jaminton Campaz. €1m from this year’s budget and the same amount in 12 month’s time, plus my 2nd choice right back (Fabián Viáfara) went in the opposite direction (something the AI requested, which I’ve not seen in FM for years). The Board rated the economics of the deal as ‘E’ (presumably meaning “Excellent”), and I was confident that Campaz would be golden and earn back his fee in goals and assists. In my first sight of him in the RIP save, he was electric in the ME…the best player I’ve witnessed so far in FM21 Colombia. He was now mine in this save universe!

For my Junior side, he hit the ground running. He made a goal or an assist contribution in each of his opening seven games for Junior (below), as our left sided Raumdeuter. The Raumdeuter is not a role I usually opt for, and I’m surprised it’s remained in Football Manager for over half a decade now…when it’s really only one player that’s ever referenced as one (Thomas Müller, who I used in a Byline piece a few months back). That being said, it can be absolutely lethal in my setup. As the first seven games showed:

Jaminton Campaz’s first seven games with Junior.

I would usually dive into some FM Analysis here and show you Campaz’s performance via visualisations (touch/heat/pass maps etc)…but FM21 is bugged to High Hell. I can’t get anything meaningful right now out of the game, which is a shame, so please make do with words:

“The Raumdeuter in FM21 has surprised me, because he’s been as much of a creator than a goal scorer (I wrongly simplify the role in my head to a wider Poacher-type role that’s selfish and one dimensional. That’s not the case here). My left sided Wing Back often releases the Raumdeuter, who makes a good run in between opposition FB-CB and finds time to cross for my Advanced Forward. The role also frequently cuts back to the Enganche for shooting opportunities. Thanks”.

FM Anal RIP.

Ojeda’s 4-2-3-1 DM

The Raumdeuter sits on the left side of a Balanced (and sometimes Positive) 4-2-3-1. The thinking behind using him here was that he was a lot of space to move into with the Advanced Forward breaking beyond the lines (and thus creating space) and the Enganche holding his position centrally. The role suits a shorter passing style too, something I’ve really been keen to try and implement here in Colombia.

Campaz is in no way the perfect Raumdeuter just yet. It’s a role that requires strong Mentals, something which is obviously still developing in a 20-year-old, but I would say he is definitely on the right track. His positional understanding became natural after 5 months of playtime at AML, and I’ve had an individual focus on him to work on his Shooting alongside the Raumdeuter duty training. His trait to Cut Inside From Left Wing and attack central places also helps, and I am thinking of asking him to learn either Play One-Twos or Move Into Channels in the next few months to help even further.

Campaz’s 2021 record so far (all comps) stands at: 29 games, 7 goals (xG of 5) and 16 assists. Decent.

Elsewhere in the 4-2-3-1, I’ve tried to use some traditional South American roles. I’ve got the aforementioned No.10 as my Enganche, which is usually Sherman Cárdenas. He has the two guys on attack to feed with through balls, a supportive Winger running wide and sometimes the central Segundo Volante (who in certain games in on Attack Duty) to link up with. But I would say the effectiveness of the role is still to be determined, sometimes the No.10 is great to watch and sometimes it is extremely quiet. The defence is classic FM Grasshopper Conservatism, I’m perhaps a bit too passive with the supporting cast at Full Back and also the Defensive Midfielder on Defend duty. All something to ponder after 6 months of gameplay…

Results

The fun/cruel thing about Colombian league football (and across a lot of South America), is that you can be the ‘best’ side by gathering more points than anybody else…and yet still not win anything. As demonstrated by Ojeda’s Junior, who achieved a 1st place finish in the traditional Opening Table: 11 Wins, 7 Draws and 2 Defeats. Some of those wins were scintillating, especially the 7-0 Vs Millonarios. Yet there are still too many draws, showing that my 4-2-3-1 is in no way an all-conquering tactic. If anything, we’ve become worse as we’ve progressed through 2021…

Won a Super Cup 😎

Atlético Nacional won Semi Final Group A and went on to beat Group B Winners Santa Fe 2-1 on aggregate to become the 2021 Apetura Champion.

I would say we hit a fitness wall around April/May time, where the games were played every 3 days. Many players became jaded and experienced niggling injuries. So, I rotated as best I could…despite seeing it massively effect on-field performances (and results) and we limped into the Semi Final Group, which contained the league favourites Atlético Nacional. I wouldn’t say we were humiliated in the end of it all, we just did not take our best football into the mini-tournament. That famous 7-0 win Vs Millonarios felt like eons ago.

To tie nicely back to my earlier discussion on Campaz. If my ‘business end’ struggles with fitness and performances were not clear enough, you can see how the poor form has been reflected in The Raumdeuter’s last seven games (below). It’s a direct contrast to his first seven games, and perhaps shows that I’ve overworked a core set of players (all of whom needed a more intensive pre-season and the odd rest period)…

Jaminton Campaz’s last seven games with Junior.

2021 Copa Sudamericana

More gloom for Hugo Ojeda and the disgruntled Junior Board Members, who saw the side fail to meet expectations in the Copa Sudamericana (which was the Second Round). It didn’t help that I only realised that 2nd place did not go through in the Suda until the last game week (what an idiot!), but I can’t help feel we got a ridiculously hard group. Atlético Mineiro are coached to be a good pressing side under Jorge Sampaoli (who I felt lucky to remain unbeaten against) and Argentine top flight side Newell’s Old Boys hammered us in the opening group game. I feel satisfied to have since bounced back from that defeat and go five unbeaten, earning difficult points away in Brazil and up in the clouds away at Cusco, Peru.

Nevertheless, we have a big red thumbs down on the Club Vision screen. “Failed”.

Adios Miguel Borja

I am trying to remain positive in this save. But the task ahead appears to be even harder with the departure of 28-year-old Miguel Borja, whose loan ends in June 2021. Borja has been an apex predator for me in FM21: 32 games, 25 goals (xG of 14). He’s been the one consistent goal threat throughout the whole season, and he will no doubt be hard to replace.

However, I did know this was coming and I always expected to be powerless in trying to keep him; his wages are Brazil level and we can’t afford his transfer fee. I took this save on knowing that I would only get 6 month’s of magic from him, something I have been craving since he burst onto the scene in 2016/17. As this lovely throwback between myself and good friend Diego Mendoza shows…

It’s therefore time to find a new No.9 for the remainder of 2021, where I hope we can go on to win the Closing Stage and compete for the Copa Colombia title. Both competitions offer a gateway into the more lucrative 2022 Copa Libertadores, which has to be the primary goal.

The first uncertain 6 months of FM21 Colombia have been a real challenge, I’m learning as I go and adapting where I can. But one thing is for sure, La Plata: Colombia is warming up nicely.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper