Introducing Loïc Swartzendruber, GCZ's new manager

Last week I wrote about how you should consider spending time on setting up your manager's in game attributes, ensuring you invest in the right places to suit your save. This week's blog is more roleplay orientated: spending a great deal of time introducing you to Loïc Swartzendruber, Grasshopper Club Zürich's new manager for FM16.

Early life

Loïc Swartzendruber was born on 02 March 1976 in Lucerne, Switzerland, to  Gerhard and Hélène Swartzendruber. Loïc is the first son of their three children and has German and French ancestry due to his parents being born outside of Switzerland. According to his father, Loïc was introduced to football at an early age and was taken to his father's favoured team: SC Freiburg.

Lucerne: Loïc Swartzendruber's hometown

 

Playing Career

Swartzendruber was a product of the Fussball-Club Luzern youth system and showed great potential in his formative years. Originally playing as a Centre Forward, Swartzendruber broke several youth team records for goals scored in a season [39] at the age of 14. Although only appearing 5 times in the First Team [3 starts and 2 subs]. Swartzendruber caught the eye of AS Monaco, then managed by Arsene Wenger, and decided to leave Stadion Allmend at the age of 16 in 1992.

AS Monaco was home to Swartzendruber during his teenage years

Wenger saw a genuine talent in Swartzendruber and moved him deeper into an attacking midfielder role. After spending the 1992/93 season in Monaco's development squad, Swartzendruber made his first start for Monaco in a 2-1 win against Martigues in December 1993. His first goal came against Auxerre from a free kick, a game in which Monaco won 5-0. Swartzendruber finished the season with 5 goals, playing with world class talents such as Jürgen Klinsmann and Youri Djorkaeff. A poor start to the 1994–95 season meant Wenger was dismissed on 17 September 1994, with the team in 17th spot in the table.

The next two years saw great turmoil at the club, with AS Monaco appointing 4 managers in a two year period. Swartzendruber's form and playing time deteriorated as a result. A good start to the 1995/96 season under Jean Tigana's tutelage saw Swartzendruber score 2 in the first 4 games of the season, before he broke his ankle in two places. As a result of the horror challenge on Swartzendruber, Auxere's Antoine Sibierski received a 5 match suspension.

The 10 month recovery time scuppered any chances of a widely tipped Euro 96 Swiss National team call up for Swartzendruber, who was widely regarded as Switzerland's brightest talent. At the age of 20 years old, Loïc Swartzendruber faced his biggest challenge in football.

For the 1996/97 season, Swartzendruber was loaned to French 2nd Division side
Red Star F.C in Paris. Struggling for fitness, Swartzendruber made 10 starts but neither AS Monaco and Red Star would pursue a contract beyond the 1996/97 season.

In the Autumn of 1997, Swartzendruber moved to MLS Cup holders D.C United to play in the 2nd season of the newly launched Major League Soccer. Working with upcoming US coach, Bruce Arena, Swartzendruber played a pivtol  role in helping D.C. United maintain an early lead in the Eastern Conference with 6 goals before December. However, an x-ray after a match against Columbus Crew highlighted critical damage in the troublesome ankle. Swartzendruber underwent surgery in Washington, US and would be out for the remainder of the season.  D.C United decided not to renew their 1 year contract.

Loïc Swartzendruber (now 22) spent the whole of 1998 recuperating in his native Switerzland, before signing an 18 month deal with his hometown Fussball-Club Luzern. During this time, Swartzendruber played mostly as a shadow striker and contributed 10 goals over 20 games. Despite a restricted training regime due to the troublesome ankle, German cub SSV Ulm 1846 (then playing in 2. Bundlesiga) announced the free transfer in July 2000. Despite being relegated in his first season, Loïc Swartzendruber became a fan favourite with his flair and technique. At 25 years old, playing in German's Regionalliga (then 3rd tier) Swartzendruber broke his ankle for the third time and was told to quit professional football.

The scan released by SSV Ulm 1846 of Swartzendruber's 3rd ankle injury in 2000

Statistics

1991/92 Fussball-Club Luzern 5 apps, 0 goals

1992/93 AS Monaco 0 apps, 0 goals

1993/94 AS Monaco 22 apps, 5 goals

1994/95 AS Monaco 9 apps, 1 goals

1995/96 AS Monaco 4 apps, 2 goals

1996/97 Red Star FC 10 apps, 4 goals

1997/98 D.C. United 10 apps, 7 goals

1998/99 Fussball-Club Luzern 4 apps, 2 goals

1999/2000 Fussball-Club Luzern 16 apps, 8 goals

2000/2001 SSV Ulm 1846 12 apps, 4 goals

2001/2002 SSV Ulm 1846 16 apps, 10 goals

All time record: 108 apps, 43 goals

Post-playing career

After retiring in 2002 Swartzendruber took three years out from football. During this time he completed an Economics degree at the Institut d'études politiques in Rennes, France. In 2005 Swartzendruber was appointed as a youth technical coach at Arsenal FC in London. This reunited Swartzendruber with Arsene Wenger, who had worked together over a decade earlier at AS Monaco. Speaking about his appointment in 2005, Swartzendruber said:

"I spoke to my ex-agent who gave me Arsene's private number. I kept that number in my wallet for 2 weeks before calling. Would he remember me? Would he care?
He invited me to London Colney straight away and was keen to discuss football, both philosophy and tactics. He had followed my progress across America and Germany. I was amazed and humbled.
Wenger said I had disappointments that other players will never have. This is not a weakness but a strength in management"

London Colney - Arsenal's training centre where Loïc Swartzendruber has honed his coaching skills

During his contract with Arsenal, Swartzendruber is credited to have helped local English talents breaking into the First Team, such as Jack WIlshere and Kieran Gibbs. In 2014 Swartzendruber successfully completed his UEFA Pro Licence, allowing him to manage a the top level of a nation's league system on a permanent basis. On July 01 2015 Loïc Swartzendruber, aged 39, was appointed manager of Grasshopper Club Zürich, Switzerland. 

Quotes on Swartzendruber

"Despite his debilitating ankle injury, Swartzendruber is the perfect No.10. A pleasure to watch for both fans and coaches" Bruce Arena 1997
"He was very much in my plans for Euro 96. I spoke with him at length after his injury and we always hoped he would come back to play consistently" Roy Hodgson 1998
"Loïc Swartzendruber was the most technically gifted teenager of his generation. I have no doubt he would have gone on to become a world class attacker" - Arsene Wenger 2005
"There is no doubt in my mind that Loïc Swartzendruber will make a great insightful Football Manager. Even at 16/17 he was telling us where to run and what to do in games" Jürgen Klinsmann 2015
 

Investing in the right places: Manager attributes in FM

Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager 2016 will offer players the chance to create how their manager looks on the touchline. I suspect many long time players will treat this new feature with a certain amount of apathy. There is also a danger that players new to FM16 may become too concerned about how their players appear and overlook the other parts of the manager creation set up. This week I argue the importance of thinking a bit deeper about setting the right manager attributes and how you ought to think about your new save prior to starting out. Knowing what kind of manager you want to be, and where you want to go, can have a huge impact on the importance of certain attributes.

When starting a new game on FM15 you are given a certain amount of manager points to invest in both coaching and mental attributes. The number of points allocated to you depends on your coaching badges and past playing experience, as below:

 

 

There is no right or wrong experience to choose, it depends on your save and whether you want realism or add a certain degree of role play to your manager. For instance, I only ever played to Sunday League level...but I always suit my past experience to the level of which I am managing at e.g. Bromley - Semi Pro, Exeter - Regional Pro and Man Utd - Intl footballer.

What kind of manager do you need to be from Day 1?

The first thing I would ask new FMers to think about is whether they are in a position to distance themselves from training. For instance you could be managing a huge club like Real Madrid, where an exceptional level of training already occurs. If your new save sees you managing a cash strapped Torquay Utd...then you may not be able to employ good coaches. The focus is then on you to invest some of your finite points on the green coaching attributes above.

Some FMers also consult the game editors or programmes such as FM Scout to see player current ability/potential ability as well as hidden stats and player sale values. (There is nothing wrong with taking this advantage, as long as your fictional FM world is played out where all human managers know that these are being used). If these are being used, then there is absolutely no need to invest in the Player Knowledge or Youngster Knowledge attributes. It can also be argued that those managing higher reputable clubs, with extensive scouting networks, OR those disabling attribute masking do not need such a high number in these attributes.

Some players (which sometimes include me depending on the save) dislike the repetitive nature of team talks and team meetings and thus delegate this work to the Assistant Manager. If you fit this mould then the motivating attribute can be reduced, providing your have a decent assistant manager and coaches who have high values in motivating.

Where do you want to go?

Some players adore the 'Journeyman save', where a number of leagues are loaded and players can drift from one challenge to the next in an existing FM Universe.  If this sounds fun to you (and it is), then you may want to consider investing in the Adaptability attribute. Being adaptable will increase your chances of being offered work abroad. However if you intend on being a 'One Club Man' like I do in FM16 with Grasshopper Club Zürich, consider reducing your investment in this attribute.

It is also worth noting that FM15 allowed managers to go on coaching courses to improve their manager attributes. Providing your club has (1) enough budget and (2) can temporarily compensate a reduced contribution from your coaching stats whilst you're at college, then you may consider reducing some attributes to around 16-17. This will then give you a chance to improve to 20 in the coming months/years.

I hope this week's blog will lead others to think about their attributes before diving head first into a save. I now leave you with a quick quiz of guessing the three managers below, solely from their attributes (the names of the managers are in binary below each image, to translate visit here). Clue: they all currently manage in the English Premier League as of 25 September 2015.

Good luck, FM Grasshopper

01000001 01110010 01110011 01100101 01101110 01100101 00100000 01010111 01100101 01101110 01100111 01100101 01110010 00001010

01110010 01101111 01100010 01100101 01110010 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101101 01100001 01110010 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100101 01111010 00001010

01010100 01101111 01101110 01111001 00100000 01010000 01110101 01101100 01101001 01110011 00001010



Two footedness in FM - a double edged sword?

This week's blog discusses two footedness in Football Manager and why it should be carefully considered in FM16.  I also include a handy summary of the most two footed (elite) players in FM15.

In real life
Before we begin, let's be clear on one vital thing: being two-footed makes a player better in real life AND in Football Manager (although this blog will discuss the problems it can bring in FM).  There is a clear advantage for those players who can control the ball with the foot that is the farthest away from the opponent. Those milliseconds saved can be spent finding a more incisive pass or scoring a goal. If given the riches that Pelligrini and Van Gaal currently hold, my dream team would be full of ambidextrous players from Goalkeeper to Goal Poachers. 11 Santi Cazorlas:

In FM
However despite my opening paragraph, I would not want a full 11 of ambidextrous players in my Football Manager team. Now I need to start by introducing current ability and potential ability before I ramble. Current ability (CA) is how good a player is rated from 1-200, this number will influence the distribution of player attributes and how they perform in the FM match engine. Potential ability (PA) is how good a player can become, equal to their current ability to 200.

So with this in mind, let's introduce Player A who is left footed but with a disastrous right foot (20/0) and Player B who is either footed (20/20), they are both Strikers. If these two players were to have the same CA and PA then you would be surprised by the results, as Player A would display higher player attributes.  If they both had the same attributes, Player B would be a better player and would require a higher CA.  The reason Player B attributes are lower is because we have given him an extra advantage, but we have not boosted his CA to account for that advantage. 

Out of these two players I would prefer the two footed player even if there was a 5-6 points swing in the Finishing stat. Let's imagine Player A with perfect finishing of 20 Vs our Player B with 15. Within the FM match engine Player A needs a very specific condition for him to convert - it needs to be on his good side. For Player B, any space in the box is likely to be a goal scoring chance. It does matter which side the defender channels him down or which foot the ball lands at, he can lash an accurate shot towards goal with any foot.

So why on earth do I NOT want a full 11 of ambidextrous players in my Football Manager team?!? Well there is one major flaw (in my opinion) from Sports Interactive. The reduction in player attributes affects not only technical attributes but also mental and physical stats. Essential attributes like Determination and Natural Fitness could be affected, in my opinion this is not right. Why would having two good feet affect how determined my player is? Or how quickly he can recover between games?

I choose Player B, any day of the week, because his ambidexterity gives him that vital advantage in the final third. But would I want the same advantage for my Goalkeeper or Limited ball playing Centre Back? The answer is no. I would rather have those players' attribute points in specialised stats like Concentration and Strength. This is why you should focus the two footedness of your team in player roles that you think make a deciding difference in your tactical system (and not be overly concerned about having two footed players in every position). I am already starting to think about this for my Grasshopper FM16 save and I am fortunate to have a couple of two footed players in the team: Caio (my Enganche 16/20) and Moanes Dabbur (my main striker20/17). Both roles will maximise the advantage of being able to use either foot. 

Here now is a list of those elite players who are best suited to make use of their two footedness:

The top 10 'World Class' ambidextrous players (who have ≥ 18 in either foot)
1.    Jerome Boateng (18/20)
2.    Santi Cazorla (19/20)
3.    Pedro (19/20)
4.    Francesco Totti (18/20)
5.    Adriano (20/18) - of Barcelona
6.    Hernanes (19/20)
7.    Danny (18/20) - of Zenit
8.    Julian Draxler (18/20)
9.    Heung-Min Son (18/20)
10.    Gylfi Sigurðsson (18/20)

(Numbered by their CA in FM15, July 2015)

Return of the Enganche

There was a time, not so long ago, that the laziest player in a team of 11 players was the most loved and valuable.  Cherished by not how many kilometres he covered or how many sprints were made in 90 minutes.  These players could simply turn up and show their craft, knowing that the other squad members would carry them.  These were the playmakers.

A certain Pep Guardiola, with his dominant Barcelona teams from 2008, put the final nail in their coffin.  Barcelona won every trophy possible – deploying a high pressing tempo games that required players to win the ball back within 6 seconds (below).  From then on, players of all ilk were expected to press, press and press.  Even players like Lionel Messi were expected to sacrifice a part of their natural game for the team.

How Barcelona Players Get The Ball - The 6 Seconds Rule

However, football is cyclical in nature.  What was considered the right way in 2008 will slowly change and there is hope (from me at least), that we will one day see the traditional playmakers of old grace the game at the top level again. Players such as Álvaro Recoba and Juan Román Riquelme, who had the dribbling, first touch and vision to change the game at any moment. These players were not athletes, they were artists.

So with this in mind, what will I do in FM16 with Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ)? Answer: I am going to do my upmost to bring back the playmaker(!).  Luckily for me, we now have a dedicated player role for this very special kind of player: the Enganche.  The Enganche literally translates to the ‘hook’ in Latin American Spanish.  The role’s purpose is an ode to Juan Román Riquelme – receive the ball from a central pocket and distribute it accordingly.  The role is not expected to press within 6 seconds or make any kind of run to create space for others, they are there to simply be loved through what they do best: dictate and pass.

Limited physical attributes such as acceleration, natural fitness and pace will not hinder a player within the Enganche role.  It can allow players who are not suited to closing down the opposition to flourish.  This is particularly appealing to me, because unlike Pep Guardiola, I do not like fitting ‘square pegs in round holes’.  As GCZ manager, I also do not have the luxury of a pool of players who all want to collectively press and harass the opposition and I certainly cannot attract these players to a team that finished so lowly in the league last season (8th).  

Luckily for me, I have a player that I believe can become the Enganche.  Meet Caio César Alves dos Santos, also known simply as ‘Caio’.  For the Swiss Super League, Caio possess good technical stats who is best suited to the AMC position (see below).

Caio from Day 1 (Football Manager 2015)

In order to use this specialist role I am expecting an enormous amount of tinkering during pre-season.  Not only do I have to find a way to incorporate both the Enganche AND a Deep Lying Playmaker (see last week’s Blog).  I also need to ensure that their passes (both short and direct) are found by teammates who are expect to turn opportunities to goals.  Once FM16 is out, I can provide in-depth analysis what I have done and how I (hopefully) cracked it.  Wish me luck…

FM Grasshopper