Mid-Season Review (Season 1) - GCZ #FM16

Today's blog is a recap on my first 6 months of management at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ).  I have reached the Swiss Winter Break (around 2 months), which is a good time to break and reflect on past games and look ahead to the future...

Pre-Season

Pre-season was a good chance for me to evaluate the squad and experiment with formations/tactics. I alternated between a 4123 DM Asymmetric AML and a 4321 Asymmetric AMC formation (below).

It's very hard to gauge the success of systems during pre-season. Some teams were already match fit when I got to play them (e.g. MŠK Žilina) and I was playing with a mixture of youth and experience. What I did notice was that the Wing Backs in the 4321 were extremely effective at providing the width (especially the WBL). The Deep Lying Playmaker (DLP) was also getting the protection he needs to dictate the game with a Ball Winning Midfielder (BWM) and a Box To Box Midfielder (BBM). In the 4123, the DLP was often outnumbered and his game was being disrupted by closing down and tackling. A playmaker should have the license to do what he wants!

Here are the results of pre-season:

An awful performance at Ross County was the only blemish in what otherwise was a great pre-season. We came out with no major injuries and the squad was ready for the challenges ahead. I was also set on 4321 becoming the preferred formation, with a Control mentality and Fluid system. This was getting the best out of Nemanja Antonov at WBL and also making good use of captain Kim Källström at DLP.

Transfers

Budget was extremely low this season, the major outlay was Taye Taiwo (for £13k) to compete with Antonov in the WBL spot. I notice huge demands on the WBL within my system, and a constant rotation policy will need to be adopted to keep players fresh.

I also needed cover for Kim Källström in the DLP role and a player who would also be content to play any of the other central mid roles (BWM and BBM). Up step Daniele Conti! Now you will probably wonder why I am bringing in a 36 year old...especially when I bang on about my youth project! The answer is simple: to tutor and mentor the younger players on the pitch. I will focus a blog post in the future about this.

The other two signings are cover that adhere to the general philosophy of 'developing players through the youth system'. They have not featured much in the 1st half of the season, but it is expected that they will contribute more and more as we continue Season 1.

There were no notable sales in the summer. Although I did resist the temptation to sell Munas Dabbur to SV Weder Bremen, instead promising him that we would qualify for Europe this season! This seemed to focus him back on GCZ for a bit, but since December he is getting impatient (more on this later).

Swiss Super League

The performance in the league has been particularly encouraging. Apart from a pretty bleak August, where I only scored 4 goals in 6 games, I have been largely performing. The 4321 has been solid and I fluctuate between a Counter or Control style depending on the fixture. I also modify Team Instructions as to how we keep possession and the general shape of the team on a game-by-game basis. The only teams I have yet to beat are Luzern & Young Boys, so I know for sure that I will need quite an in-depth analysis of their ProZone performance before facing them again.

So far, 6 of my players have played every minute of the Swiss Super League campaign (below). Yoric Ravet impressing in the Inside Forward (IF) role and Dabbur improving as the season continued.

Swiss Cup

The good news is that I am still in the Swiss Cup, but it could all have been over before it started with a dramatic game at Cham. Yoric Ravet equalised in stoppage time to take the game to Extra Time at 3-3:

I have used the cup to bed some youngsters in, including Nikola Gjorgjev and  Nikola Sukacev (more on these shortly). I find this an ideal opportunity in the early rounds, as Swiss Super League sides face lower level opposition by default. This means that I can realistic guarantee youngsters at least 3-4 games a season with the 1st team. Something that will contribute to their growth...

Project Youth

Those that have read this blog will know that the long term strategy is making GCZ sustainable and pushing through youth products into the 1st team. Some will not quite make it and be sold but the overall aim is to be able to play at least 8 Homegrown GCZ youth products in a match day squad from Season 9 onwards. I would like at least of these 5 of these players to be of Swiss nationality. More on my plan for youth here.

So here are the best youngsters to have already pushed into the 1st team squad:

All 3 players now have long term deals at the club and I expect them to compete regularly in the 2nd half of this season. I am already thinking 1-2 seasons ahead about who they will replace in the 1st team. Barthe, Dabbur & Ravet? At GCZ, I must not stay attached to the current 1st team. I need to sell at a time when their sale value is close to their peak. However, hard it is.

Now for the crop currently in the U18s, who in 2-4 years should be in and around the 1st team:

All of the U18s are on individual training regimes and are focusing on attributes that I feel need strengthening. Some have been tutored already, like Fabio Quintoles who has been tutored by Danielle Conti. Fabio has already seen a +5 increase in his Determination stat:

Winter Transfer Activity

The Winter months have mostly seen me discuss the interest from Germany and Italy in Munas Dabbur with the Press. Munas is the team's top scorer with 12 league games in 18 games. Munas has a contract until 2017 and will most likely be sold in the Winter transfer window OR the Summer of 2016. Keep updated as to what happens on my Twitter account.

In the meantime, I have signed a pre-contract agreement with Airam Cabrera.  A Spanish striker with modest all round abilities. He should provide valuable experience next season, with (hopefully) a consistent amount of goals.

Well, that's my Season 1 Mid-Review done. Thanks for reading if you got this far! The GCZ save has been very enjoyable so far - FM16 is a really enjoyable game. Let's hope I can maintain my league form and do well in the Swiss Cup.

FM Grasshopper

"Hardwork beats talent": The hunt for Professionalism in #FM16

Today's [quick] blog outlines what I did in my first few weeks to ensure Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) becomes a leader at producing youth: in particular by installing a professionalism attitude into the squad. In real life, professionalism is perhaps the most important influence on an athlete's development. As my Karate Sensei once told me: "hard work beats talent, when talent does not work hard". In FM, professionalism governs how hard a player trains. If a player trains well his attributes rise (and thus his current ability). This pretty much correlates to real life, where hard work (generally) beats talent, especially in professional sports.

Now, back to GCZ...as you may know, this is a long term 'project' as explained here.

Youth 'restrictions'

As part of my challenge from Seasons 4 to 8, I have placed this restriction on my squad: 

  • at least 5 Homegrown GCZ Newgens* must be in the match day squad for each domestic match (league and cup)

From Season 9+, I further increase this to:

  • at least 8 Homegrown GCZ Newgens* must be in the match day squad for each domestic (league and cup) AND Champions League matches. 5 of these must be Swiss nationality

The hunt for Professionalism

Therefore, my sole focus from Day 1 of the save was to assemble a professional youth coaching set up that would change Swiss (& possibly World) football forever!  I am not going to go into detail about Youth Development, as this is covered in the exceptional blog article by @Cleon81 here. 

I knew from playing the beta that GCZ was in need of staff, especially a Head of Youth Development (HoYD) and additional U18 coaches. I went so far as reserving a budget of circa £5k on wages for extra staff. This is the equivalent wages of a very good Swiss Super League player. So it was always a question of whether I would accept short term pain (of missing out on a 1st team player) for overall long term gain. The notable recruits for the development of youth are:

I was absolutely delighted to find staff with strong stats in Professionalism and Determination. Especially Arne Friedrich, whose 'Model Professional' personality is hopefully going to rub off on a few Newgens in upcoming youth intakes. This will make an enormous difference as to how they approach training and eventually reach their potential ability at GCZ.

This week's blog is short, mainly because it's been a busy week with real life stuff. However I am hopeful of updating you on my GCZ save, as I suspect half of Season 1 (around 18 league games) will have been played by next Friday. I will therefore update you all with my progress, in the meantime you can view my Twitter for regular updates.

Thank you for reading,

FM Grasshopper

 

Day 1 transfer targets for GCZ in #FM16

Last week I analysed the Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) squad in FM16. I identified two key areas where GCZ need more depth: a left back and a defensive central midfielder. Today's blog sets out likely targets to address this lack of depth...

Left back

GCZ has two recognised left-backs: Nemanja Antonov & Moritz Bauer. The former is a younger player who is more of an attacking left back and the later is traditionally a right back. At GCZ, we therefore need an experienced head...

Taye Taiwo - an FM legend

Taye Taiwo is a 30 year old left back who has amassed an impressive half century of International caps for Nigeria. He has been an impressive left-back in past editions of FM - so there is a certain sentimental value for FMers. I think he can be bought for around £10-20k and his wages will clearly be within budget.

However, there is another African talent on a Free Transfer...David Addy:

David Addy - a raw exciting talent

Addy has good attacking attributes akin to Nemanja Antonov. Now this could be seen as an advantage to some, but I dislike having similar players in the fullback roles. Why you ask? Well the simple truth is that I use my fullbacks in relation to the opposition I play, something I may explain further in a specialised blog. The crux of the matter is that the fullback is such a vital role now in football for exploiting space (or limiting it to opponents). I therefore need a more defensive fullback than what Antonov offers. This is where the FM Comparison tool comes in handy...especially the use of 'highlight key attributes for role' function.

Here is how Taye and David compare using the comparison tool:

Wingback (Defend) is selected here, a role I intend to use again teams with wide wingers

You can see here that Taye ever so slightly shades the defensive side of the game and is probably my 1st choice (for now). As it is only after scouting that my mind will be totally made up.

Defensive Central midfield

A few months ago I spoke about how Kim Källström would need support for his Deep Lying Playmaker work. With the exception of Marco Basic, there is a distinct lack of defensively minded central players at GCZ. I therefore need someone willing to break up the play and offload it to Kim at the earliest opportunity. I have been pretty selective in my targets, looking for experience and determination:

Anthony Annan - a reliable 'water carrier'

Edinho - a resilient leader

Both players have some great stats, but it is undeniable that Edinho has some exceptional mental stats, which would be extremely useful for tutoring youngsters at GCZ. However, when using the comparison tool the players look very similar in the Ball Winning Midfielder role:

Edinho is by far a cheaper initial capital cost (estimated at £1-2k), whereas Annan will cost anywhere between £50-100k. Both look to have money-grabbing agents, so I may need to consider loaning Edinho (thus bypassing the agent fees) OR waiting for Annan's contract to expire at the end of 2015.

Either way, I am still in two minds as to whom will be GCZ's next midfield enforcer. For now, you will just have to wait and see what I decide to do. Note - I'll be playing from 0600 GMT on Friday 13th November (pretty much all of Friday) - I'll be tweeting updates throughout the week...where I hope to update you all on how pre-season is going! Thanks for reading.

FM Grasshopper

Senior Squad review - Grasshopper Club Zürich #FM16

Today's blog is a 1st team review of Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) in FM16. I'll be focussing on the immediate challenges and areas that need strengthening from Day 1. I will finish off by discussing likely tactics and offer an insight into how I will be approaching my save on Nov 13th.

The first thing I always consult when joining a new squad is the reports view within the squad screen. The ability, potential and recommendation star rating system are a initial indication as to who my important players are.  So I can see straight away that there are 4 stand out players (Källström, Ravet, Dabbur and Caio), who will be discussed further below. 

Goalkeepers

GCZ have two evenly classed Goalkeepers, with Joel Mall (24) signing from Thun in the summer.  Mall will compete with Vaso Vasic (25) during pre-season for the No.1 spot.  From looking at attributes Joel Mall slightly shades it in my opinion, although I am worried about his Determination stat of 3:

  • Joel Mall (24 years old), earning £1.5k until 2017
  • Vaso Vasic (25 years old), earning £1.8k until 2017

Recommendation: With transfer funds low, I would advise keeping the two GKs as they are and rotate on form and attitude.  Certainly this is a position I may need to think about from Season 2 or 3... 

Full Backs/Wing Backs

At GCZ, there are 3 full backs: left sided Nemanja Antonov (20), right sided Benjamin Lüthi (26) and versatile Moritz Bauer (23) who can play both DL and DR.  As it stands all 3 will get game time with Bauer able to play both in both flanks.  However, should an injury arise early on in the season, I may need to approach another left sided fullback. Personally, Moritz Bauer is the better defender but I may need to select these three based on the opponent I play:

  • Nemanja Antonov (20 years old), earning £2k a week until 2019
  • Moritz Bauer (23 years old), earning £1.8k a week until 2016
  • Benjamin Lüthi (26 years old), earning £1.8k a week until 2017

Recommendation: The immediate action for me is to extend Bauer's contract.  Not only does he cover both flanks, at 23 he is likely to improve a bit more.  I certainly do not want to lose him, as it effectively means I need to recruit at least another 2 players!  As mentioned above, rotating these three will be key depending on the opposition. A game where I am expecting space in the final third might merit Antonov and Lüthi's involvement, whereas a problematic opposition winger may need Bauer's marking skills. Considering a loan to provide further cover...

Central Defenders

GCZ have three decent central defenders (Levent Gülen, Alban Pnishi and Alexandre Barthe) with another two youthful covers (Noah Loosli and Jean-Pierre Rhyner). From the onset I plan to play with 2 central defenders, so with frequent rotating I could get away with not reinforcing here.  New signing Alexandre Barthe is perhaps the better defender with much needed experience:

  • Noah Loosli (18 years old), earning £600 a week until 2016
  • Jean-Pierre Rhyner (19 years old), earning £625 a week until 2017
  • Levent Gülen (21 years old), earning £2.5k a week until 2017
  • Alban Pnishi (24 years old), earning £1.9k a week until 2018
  • Alexandre Barthe (29 years old), earning £2.4k a week until 2018

Recommendation: I plan to rotate in pre-season and see how the 3 experienced CBs are performing with one another. Using Loosli and Rhyner could be an option in cup games, provided they are partnered with an experienced team-mate.

Central midfielders

For a vital position of the pitch, GCZ is somewhat lacking here.  We have a very special Deep Lying Playmaker in new signing Kim Källström (32) who will most certainly become one of the chief playmakers in the team. To assist Kim, we have Marco Basic (27) who provides solid defensive cover in the centre of the pitch. We also have Harun Alpsoy (18), who has the potential to be a solid Super League player in the future.

  • Kim Källström (32 years old), earning £7.25k a week until 2018
  • Marko Basic (27 years old), earning £2.6k a week until 2018
  • Harun Alpsoy (18 years old), earning £800 a week until 2018

Recommendation: I definitely need to strengthen in this area.  If Källström is to flourish as my DLP, he needs protection.  So I plan to play at least one central midfielder alongside Kim, if not two - perhaps a Ball Winning Midfielder AND a Central Mid (defend) in certain games.

Attacking Midfielders/Wingers

The positions within the space between the midfield and the attack are perhaps GCZ's strongest area.  With adequate cover in the AML, AMC and AMR positions.  Caio and Yoric Ravet are the experienced heads with over 100 GCZ appearances between them. A tactic will need to focus on utilising both players.  I have already focussed on Caio in a previous blog, so here is Yoric Ravet:

My initial thoughts about Yoric Ravet is that he will play effectively as an Inside Forward.  He has good Pace, Dribbling and Off The Ball & he also has associated Player Preferred Moves (PPM) such as Move Into Channels and Tries Killer Balls Often.  This dynamism is perfect for the IF role.  One thing to note is that Ravet's preferred foot will be different after the Winter Data update, as the Left Foot stat has been slightly exaggerated.  I am still in two minds whether or not to edit the DB or base my role dependant on an enhanced left foot.  For instance, Cuts Inside PPM can actually combine with a left footed right sided player very well...especially if that player is playing as an Inside Forward.

The other notable talents are Nikola Gjorgjev (17), Shani Tarashaj (20) and Mergim Brahimi (22) who with game time will no doubt become solid Swiss Super League players.  I am especially excited by both Gjorgjev and Tarashaj who I expect will become regular Swiss International players with the correct development.

  • Nikola Gjorgjev (17 years old), earning £170 a week until 2017
  • Shani Tarashaj (20 years old), earning £3k a week until 2019
  • Mergim Brahimi (22 years old), earning £1.5k a week until 2018
  • Yoric Ravet (25 years old), earning £5.5k a week until 2017
  • Caio (29 years old), earning £6.25k a week until 2018

Recommendation: All of the above players are pretty versatile and interchangeable within the attacking midfield positions.  For this reason, this is one area where no immediate changes are necessary.  Longer term, I may wish to cash in on Caio or Ravet to maximise their sale value...and I certainly should be focussed on developing the younger three players - who will hopefully go on to great things at GCZ.

Strikers

The most valuable player in the squad is Munas Dabbur, who aged 23 yeas represents GCZ's best chance of scoring goals. The immediate challenge is keeping hold of him as there will no doubt be many clubs looking to sign him.  Dabbur has very good Finishing and Off The Ball stats and is completely two footed.  If you want to know why two-footedness is so important for a Striker, read here.

Other than Dabbur, there really is not much to talk about here.  There are upcoming young strikers who show potential like Florian Kamberi and Manuel Kubli (both 20) and another two wild cards in Sherko Kareem and Semir Music (both 19).  Shani Tarashaj can also naturally play Striker as well.

  • Sherko Kareem (19 years old), earning £900 a week until 2018
  • Semir Music (19 years old), earning £850 a week until 2015 (Dec)
  • Florian Kamberi (20 years old), earning £1.6k a week until 2019
  • Manuel Kubli(20 years old), earning £625 a week until 2017
  • Munas Dabbur (23 years old), earning £3.8k a week until 2017

Recommendation: Keeping Dabbur for at least another season is wise.  He will be hard to keep beyond this date if Bigger Clubs come in for him and he is unlikely to want to sign a new contract in Summer 2016.  I may want to consider extended his contract, because he WILL bang the goals in.  The other youngsters have a chance to impress during pre-season but if there is any doubt ahead of the new season, I may want to consider a loan or an experienced striker on a Free Transfer.  The lack of excess quality in this area leads me to think that a One Striker formation is best...

Formations

 

Above are formations that, I believe, can be taken forward from Day 1 of the GCZ save (from left to right: 4-3-2-1 asymmetric AMC, 4-2-3-1 DM Wide, 4-2-3-2 Wide and 4-3-1-2 Narrow).  The final formation and tactic I end up with will be tweaked and (hopefully) perfected in pre-season/early weeks of the season, which I will blog on.  What I would like to stress though is my underlining belief that formations and tactics should become before any player selection.  For instance, there are certain playmakers discussed above that I want in the team (my Engance in Caio and my Deep Lying Playmaker in Källström).  I cannot just chuck them in a 4-4-2 and hope it works.  Football is luckily more complex than this.  I need to think about how both Caio and Källström prefer to play (hints are found in their stats, PPMs etc) and how I want to utilise them and others around them, in order to bring about a greater good e.g. directness, movement, pressing etc.  The combinations of players into a formation therefore develops around a set of ideals and beliefs in how I want my team to play. 

To cut a long story short, I am therefore leaning towards a 4-3-2-1 asymmetrical formation.  I have spent a long time thinking about Källström and Caio, my playmakers who dictate play.  What they both require are players who can press and make runs around them (see my IF, WBs and BBM).  Offering them an outlet to playmake.  But I also need a player who can hold centrally, so that the DLP has protection and does not have to press oncoming attackers alone.  The roles and shape are fluid and will often change based on the opposition I face, but that's my initial thoughts so far.  

Next week's blog is another focus on the beta: Part 2: Potential GCZ targets for 2015/16 and beyond... (Friday 13 November 2015).

FM Grasshopper

#FM16Beta - who needs staff?

STOP PRESS. The FM16 beta is out! Meaning that this blogpost and the next two (06 & 13 Nov) will be analysing the FM database in order to fully comprehend the Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) FM16 challenge. I will be managing GCZ but please note this is NOT my official save. I plan to start the proper project at 00:01 on Friday 13 November (in full suit attire of course).

Today's blog is rather hurried as I have only been able to dedicate 7 hours to the beta (and I am yet to hit Continue!). I discuss the backroom staff at GCZ, or most importantly the lack of it:

You will note from the above image that there is a serious lack of staff at GCZ. In particular no Physio or Head of Youth Development...critical roles for the season(s) ahead. More on Head of Youth Development can be read on respected FM blogger Cleon's blog from yesterday afternoon.

After a bit of searching, Zvonko Radic seems to be a realistic target (only £2k compensation fee required) to take up the important role of developing youth at GCZ. Radic has good stats for the level of GCZ and also provides me with a gateway into the Eastern Europe with his scouting knowledge of Serbia and Russia:

I spoke last week about bringing back former GCZ players as staff members. Well my number 1 target, Blaise Nfuko, is interested in joining as an U18 youth coach! Blaise is a keen motivator with respectable stats in Attacking and Determination. 

Finally, I found a decent physio from the Netherlands. Meet Ronald Vermeer:

Future blogs...

I plan to invest a lot more research time into the beta during the next week and I plan to structure the next two Friday blogs in two parts:

Part 1: Review of GCZ's playing staff & likely tactics (Friday 06 November 2015)

Part 2: Potential GCZ targets for 2015/16 and beyond... (Friday 13 November 2015)

FM16 will be in our lives after these posts and I plan to start blogging the weekly happenings within my save. Also a YouTube channel will follow in time, which will upload certain goals and highlights to further document the GCZ journey. For now, enjoy the beta friends...

FM Grasshopper