The Marco & Remo Diaries - "Heartbreak" Part IV #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

April 29, 2016

When we last met Marco and Remo they were on course for a second consecutive Domestic Double in 2018/19. This was achieved, with Marco and Remo playing a key role in the success. They also carried this form into the 2019/2020 season, meaning that they both won three league titles in a row at Grasshoppers. As mentioned in a previous Homegrown blogpost, Marco & Remo are the players I am turning to in order to lead a Homegrown European success story. What could possibly go wrong here?

Heartbreak

Well, heartbreak happened. Marco Simon, Homegrown captain at 19 and potentially World Class central midfielder, has left Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) to seek European glory with Olympique Lyonnais (OL). The fee is a generous one, £20m upfront in cash and 30% of any transfer profit made.

Marco Simon_ Interaction Private Chat.png

So why did I sanction the deal and potentially sabotage my 5 year plan? There's a number of reasons:

Talks between Marco and his agents started in Summer 2019, in order to extend his deal beyond 2022. For 12 months, Marco refused to talk with the club and angled for a move to a bigger club (for much of the 2019/20 campaign). Not ideal behaviour for Club Captain and somebody I want to build my team around.
Marco's had a noticeable decline in performances within the Match Engine. Although, his stats were marginally better (as you'd expect for a young player year on year). He simply did not have a presence in the BIG games, like in previous years.
Marco was 6 months away from reaching the 18 month milestone of contract expiry. A date I try to set when negotiating new deals. At this point, players are at a reasonable sale value should they wish to leave. Anything after runs the risk of reduced transfer sales.
Marco tore his hamstring (out for at least 3 months) in the last Swiss warm up game before Euro 2020. He could potentially be out for around 25% of the new season. (Trust me, I've torn a hamstring before and I took the best part of a year to be able to sprint freely and at my best again). Marco is crooked for the foreseeable future.
I also have a Homegrown Youngster waiting and (I think) ready to jump into the First Team after being gradually introduced in 2019/20. Enter: Nuno Gouveia (see below).
Lastly (and perhaps most importantly) his behaviour was spreading across the wider group. He wanted an explicit guarantee of Champions League success in 2021. I like to think of myself as a capable FMer but without the use of an Editor and a zero tolerance for cheating...I simply cannot offer this guarantee. In addition to this, what kind of Manager would I be if I let a player walk all over me? Even the Club Captain isn't bigger than the Club itself. After all, we're all servants to GCZ.

Nuno Gouveia - Marco Smon's heir apparent

So after 4 seasons of nurturing this young boy, turning him into a Swiss International and seeing him win 3 league titles and 2 Swiss Cups. The relationship is over. Here is a summary of Marco's time with GCZ:

103 total competitive appearances for GCZ & 14 International caps for Switzlerand
- 68 Swiss Super League appearances (28 as Club Captain in 2019/2020). 3 league goals
- 20 Champions League appearances
- 15 Swiss Cup appearances
- 2 goals for Switzlerand

Marco Simon is 359 league appearances away from equalling Mats Gren's Club record of 427. Now that's a real Club Icon!

Loyalty

Enough talk about Marco, let's not forget that this blog post is 50% about Remo Mahrer too. Remo is a player who has shown loyalty in 2019/20 by signing a new £12.5k per week 4 year deal. This will keep him at GCZ until 2024 at least, although there is the added complication of a £25m release clause...should a BIG club come in for him.

Remo is on an upward curve and is surprising me with his development. For the first time, he has scored 10 goals in all competitions in 2019/20, despite being used as an Attacking Midfielder on Support Duty. I think 2020/21 is the season where I finally slot him into the team as a Support Striker...so expect goals.

There's also hope that Remo could set Euro 2020 alight within a very capable attacking quartet for Switzerland. As predicted in the last Diary post, Remo could: "could creep into the Euro 2020 squad unnoticed and shock International football..."

2 Homegrown Youngsters: Gjorgjev and Mahrer in Switzerland's last warm up game before Euro 2020

Keep an eye on my Twitter over the next few days to see how Remo does in Euro 2020. Also, for those wondering, I will of course continue to blog on the progress of Marco & Remo. Despite Marco's departure, he is still Grasshopper Alumni and, who knows, he may someday comeback...

Thanks for reading and for those that are only just encountering the 'Diary Posts', here are links to previous instalments:

FMG

The Homegrown XI: the 5 year plan #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

April 8, 2016

Last week saw the 1st part of my 'Homegrown XI' feature blogs. It's aim is to document my journey towards developing a successful Homegrown XI. Firstly, let's clarify the two types of homegrown status that I will be talking about further on:

Homegrown (HG): A homegrown player will be defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ), continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the Season during which he turns 21)

Homegrown in Nation (HGN): also known as an 'association-trained’ player. This player fulfils the same criteria as above but with another club in the same association/nation.

Developing and integrating homegrown talents is a challenge in Modern Day football, especially at the upper echelons of club competitions like the Champions League. However there are two examples in the last 20 years (technically 21 now) where a club has been bold enough to use homegrown talents and deliver success in the Champions League. You should all know them very well: Ajax of 1995 & Barcelona of 2011.

Note - there are other success stories like Porto of 2004, who had a starting XI of 9 HGNs when they won the Champions League. But for the purposes of today's blog, and my GCZ save in general, I am more concerned about 'true homegrown': HGs.

Ajax 1995 - Blind faith in youth

The Ajax team lined up against Fabio Capello's AC Milan with 9 HGNs (incl. 7 HGs) with a 4213, but during the game it was more like a 3331, with F. de Boer & Reiziger pushing in centrally to make a back 3 with Rijkaard occupying a more advanced defensive midfield position. The 3 defensive players could handle Milan's Gullit & Savićević who were the front 2 of a rigid 442. (You can see why the English FA were so excited to get Capello!)

Anyway, Ajax won 1 nil. It showed the rest of Europe that Ajax was once again at the forefront of youth development. However whilst Ajax celebrated their win, there was another 'Ajaxman' (Johan Cruyff) over in Catalonia that was putting the seeds in place to trump Van Gaal in two ways: as much HGs as Ajax 1995 but with more beauty....

Barcelona 2011 - Dream Team v2

"Great teams do go in cycles and they're at the peak of the cycle they're in at the moment" Sir Alex Ferguson (2011)

Barcelona won the Champions League in 2011 with 7 HGs and 9 HGNs (which included Dani Alves who moved to Spain at 18). Barcelona beat Manchester Utd 3-1 but in a way which led Alex Ferguson to proclaim the 2011 Barca as the best team he had ever faced. The man in charge was Pep Guardiola who would credit Johan Cruyff as one of the main inspirations and catalysts for success.

Both Ajax of 1995 and Barcelona of 2011 prove that nurturing homegrown talent, whilst winning the greatest club prize IS possible. It also set out the aim: equalling of improving on the 7 HGs and 9 HGNs that both teams achieved. For GCZ, the challenge is accepted...

Squad Building at GCZ - the 5 year plan

The date of my current save is 01 January 2020, we're top of the league in Season 5 and on course for a 5th consecutive league title. The current best X1 (when everyone is fit) contains 4 HGs:

However, serious work is needed to get anywhere near to Ajax and Barcelona's HG achievements. Fabio Daprelà is already 28 years old and Levent Gülen (25 years old), despite not being exceptional quality, is attracting interest form Serie A. It could be assumed that both these HGs will leave GCZ within 1-2 years. Therefore I need to think ahead and squad build, I've ambitiously planned 5 years into the future based on my current assessment of the U18s and U21s.

Now that I know the formation and tactics I want to play (as discussed in last week's blog), the team in 5 years time is shaping up as two variants of 4123 (possible 433s based on how you view fluid tactics):

Here are the 9 HGs identified as First Team compliant from 2020 (in some cases well before):

Nikola Gjorgjev_ Overview Attributes.png

Questions remain as to whether I can keep the Regen International due of Marco Simon & Remo Mahrer (which will be discussed in a future instalment of the Marco & Remo Diaries). Marco is the Captain of the team but has an inflated ego at present preventing him from extending his contract with GCZ. Remo Mahrer is good in the AMC role but, at present, not a prolific ST. His development will largely dictate whether I need to develop an exceptional Striker...hopefully a Kluivert or Messi (easier said than done right?). The striking options that currently lie within the U18s are Hotz (16), Tarone (18), Todoric (18) and Thurnheer (18), see below:

There's also a decision to be made at the GK position, mainly whether 19 year old Ivan Pajic can step up and be First team ready within 5 years...

Ivan Pajic tutored by the great Gigi Buffon in 2019/20

By mapping out a Homegrown XI for 5 years time, I can see where I need to turn my attentions to, namely RB, LW and ST (and probably GK - sorry Ivan). This drives my recruitment policy and really helps avoid those panic buys or overloading the squad in a certain position.

I now either have a choice of developing the current HGs I have in the U18s or recruiting externally...either bringing in Swiss HGNs or overseas youngsters from 18 years old (and training them for 36 months before 21 years old...thus becoming HGs). Doing all of this whilst continuing to be successful is going to be really interesting. Stay tuned on updates and see if I can better the 7 HGs of Ajax '95 and Barcelona '11 in the next few months (which will most likely take me into the Summer).

Thanks for reading and please feel free to share any opinions you may have on the youngsters I've shared with you today.

FMG

The Homegrown XI: training PPMs to suit your tactics #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

April 1, 2016

My next blog post was always going to focus on my attempts at developing a Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) homegrown XI, especially after achieving domestic dominance with 4 straight league titles and 3 domestic doubles within those 4 years. However it's now more poignant given that the Godfather of modern youth development, Johan Cruyff, sadly passed away last week. I won't make this into a tribute post, other FM/Football bloggers will do a far better job than me at detailing Cruyff's legacy. But I do have to acknowledge that Cruyff has left a lasting impression on me after visiting both Ajax & Barcelona football clubs other the last 5 years. His devotion to youth development has advanced both clubs considerably.

So what makes Ajax and Barcelona stand out as a producer of young players? One reason is that their players are educated to play a certain way & within a system that leads all the way up into the 1st team. Integrating players like Kluivert, Iniesta, Sneijder & Xavi is easier because those young players have been occupying the same positions, making the same passes, scoring the same goals regardless of being in the youth teams or in the 1st team. There are a whole load of other reasons as why they are so more advanced than most, such as the meticulous detail that Ajax go to in having the set amount of a distinct type of player in each youth squad.

Now that I am into my 5th season with GCZ, I need to start thinking about my overall 'end game': develop a successful Homegrown XI competing for Continental honours. I have already spoke about the hunt for professionalism here, which is already producing young professional athletes at GCZ. Now I need to put that professionalism to good use, bringing us today's blog: training PPMs to suit your tactics.

Simplicity: my tactics in the 2019/20 season - using a 4-3-2-1

Why train Player Preferred Moves (PPMs)?

Simply put, PPMs influence the frequency at which a player is likely to do something in the FM match engine. They do not increase the current or potential ability but combined with complementary player/team instructions/tactics...they can help players perform better. It is worth noting that professional players in FM will pick up PPM easier as they apply themselves better in training. I'll now show you how I am training some of my U18s/U21s...

Wide Players

My tactics have evolved over the 5 years and I am now in position for my tactics to drive the shape of my playing staff. Whereas when I first joined GCZ, the tactics are driven by the playing staff I inherited. So we've now moved to a fluid, wide & controlling 4-3-2-1. Sometimes I will drop a central midfielder in favour of a more attack minded AMC to effectively make a 4-2-3-1. The main crux of my tactics though is what many of us want: to be entertained (I suppose we have Cruyff to thank for this also).

Wide players bring a lot of happiness to the team. Even when not in possession of the ball, they can stretch teams and create the space for my central midfielders (which include a Box To Box) to run into or my marauding fullbacks.

My team instructions to facilitate effective wide play are: Look for overlap & exploit left/right flank. I use Wingers on Attack duty to get the best out of these. The PPMs I am training are:

- Gets Forward Whenever Possible
- Runs with Ball down Left/Right

This means players will stretch the game, encouraging them to use width as opposed to cutting inside. I'm not against players cutting inside onto a strong foot but I have always preferred my Wingers to go on the outside using a more dominate foot.

Goran Vukoja is technically poor (e.g. Dribbling 8) so I am making use of his glorious Acceleration of 17 to gain the advantage on the left flank

Playmakers

In my current system I do not have a designated Playmaker like a Deep Lying Playmaker or Enganche - rather the responsibility is shared amongst the midfield. I want at least 2 of the central 3 to have Passing + Vision ≥ than 15. I am also playing in a low tempo, so I need these midfielders to be able to split open the opposition frequently (taking advantage of their Passing/Vision). A common misconception I see is that low tempo ultimately means short sideways passing - it's actually the contrary for my team: I want my players to conserve the ball (hence the shorter passing instruction) but my good ballplayers to pass decisively. So the PPMs I look to train are:

- Tries Killer Balls Often
- Tries Long Range Passes

I still need to train the Killer Balls PPM, but Marco is already a great B2B mid

General PPMs trained

What I love about FM is that every Regen is different, and so the PPMs they need to be more effective will differ. However there are some general PPMs that I use for players:

- Gets Forward Whenever Possible

Certain players in my current system would make use of this, especially the box to box mid, fullbacks and wingers. I like to give this to players who have good Acceleration and Off The Ball stats. This makes use of the Fluid system I adopt and also the Roam From Positions team instructions.

- Knocks Ball Past Opponents

I like to give this to players who possess Acceleration and Pace ≥ than 15. It means players will get past their man more often and can be the different between getting a cross into the penalty area or simply failing to pass the opponent's fullback.

Remo Mahrer is one of the fastest young players in Europe, his PPMs will ensure he uses it well

- Avoid Using Weaker Foot

Previous readers will know my love for Two Footedness in some positions, and a certain distaste for it in other positions (read here). But in some circumstances a Regen will be that good that even one footedness has to be overlooked. To compensate this weakness, Avoids Using Weaker Foot can be trained.

Hotz has no left foot, but has a great First Touch and respectable Technique. Avoiding the use of his weaker foot will increase the effectiveness of these stats

Hopefully in the near future I can bring you an update as to how I am progressing with the Homegrown XI. It's not something that can be achieved overnight, rather more likely to be achieved over a 10 year period, as I generally only receive 1-2 decent Regens each intake.

In the meantime, my save is going really well (currently in Dec 2019). I have won 4 league titles in a row and I am on course for number 5 at the Winter Break. I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked due to personal life being busy...but rest assured I am still playing the game we love (over 550 hours now already on FM16). Keep an eye on my Twitter for mid-season updates.

Thanks for reading,

FMG

The Marco & Remo Diaries - "Breakthrough" Part III #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

February 29, 2016

My previous Marco & Remo Diaries (Part I and Part II) introduced two fledging Regens I received in the 2016 Youth Intake. We've already seen them tutored by Senior Players and become U18 Invincible 2016/17 Double Winners. Now 3 years later: the 2017/18 & partly complete 2018/19 season have been even better for Marco and Remo...

Domestic Dominance

Both Marco and Remo played a critical part in GCZ's Double winning success of 2017/18. Marco, with his freakishly good mentals, was able to adapt to the rigours of First Team football with relative ease and made a respectful 7 starts (9 subs) in the league with 2 cameo sub appearances in the Champions League Group Stages. He didn't look out of place and from 2018/19 I decided to make him my Vice Captain (learning under the tutelage of new Captain Peter Niemeyer)...if you're good enough you're old enough.

He has taken the responsibility with both hands and has such an influence on games, despite being a teenager. His stand-out performance as a Box To Box midfielder came in a 1-0 win against Young Boys...completing 82 passes in 90 attempts.

Those with good attention to detail will also notice that Marco Simon is now representing Switzerland's National Team and not Germany (where he represented the Die Mannschaft's U21s on 5 occasions). There's every chance that Marco Simon can become a regular International going forward...

Remo Mahrer on the other hand had to wait a bit longer for his First Team breakthrough, with just 3 league starts (+1 as sub), all in the final few weeks of the 2017/18 season. His most important contribution was the equalising goal in a 2-1 over St. Gallen on the final day of the season. Losing wasn't an option that day and Remo grabbed the game by the jugular with this poacher's effort:

The 2018/19 season has seen Remo feature in the majority of GCZ's matches to date (7 starts and 4 sub appearances to be precise). My focussed individual training on Composure (a key stat in attackers) is now paying dividends, as over the course of 2 years he has almost doubled in this stat.

The benefits of being in and around the 1st team squad are all to see. Remo joined the group around Feb/March 2018 and hasn't looked back...

His Professionalism is a huge factor in his development (as I explained previously here). A Professional attitude will mean Remo will train harder than most young players. Like Marco, Remo is now considered a 'Wonderkid' :

Predictions

Back in December (and in Feb 2016 of my save), I predicted a few things for each player. Now 3 years in, let's see how we're doing:

Marco Simon

5 Years: GCZ captain at the age of 21?

Marco Simon already captains GCZ when Peter Niemeyer is not in the first XI. It's only a matter of time before Niemeyer retires and Marco is asked to step up to full Captaincy. Watch this space...

10 Years: A Champions League winning captain?

Let's hope. His Champions League pedigree is already showing with some solid performances against AC Milan away and Zenit at home. We just have to hope the rest of the team can play with the same resilience...if they do, GCZ have a chance of winning the Ultimate Club Competition!

15 Years: Swiss captain with over 60 International caps?

With such great Determination and Leadership stats, there's every chance Marco can push on and become Captain of the Swiss Team. He has done the hard part by becoming an International at 19 years of age. His GCZ experiences will help him...

Remo Mahrer

5 Years: Score a Champions League hat-trick before the age of 21 years old? (Like Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale before him)

In the next two years, Remo will certainly get more chances to flourish in the striking positions. The only limiting factor for him achieving the above is probably his manager, me. So far, Remo has been used an a Support Striker or an Attacking Midfielder...never as the most advanced forward. This will damage his chances at scoring a CL hat-trick before 21.

10 Years: Win the European Golden Shoe?

Like the above, Remo's goals at Domestic level will depend on his playing position at GCZ. I'll work further to improve his Composure attribute and who knows what can happen.

15 Years: Top scorer at a Major International Championship?

Remo has a respectable 5 goals in 15 U21 appearances for Switzerland. Quite impressive considering he is playing against some defenders who are 2-3 years older than him. There's every chance that Remo could creep into the Euro 2020 squad unnoticed and shock International football...

This has quite clearly been the breakthrough year and the potential that these two possess amazes me. Keep an eye on their development via my Twitter account or via the next Marco & Remo diary. Once again, thanks for reading.

FMG

Season 3: Takeover, Transfers & Trophies #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

February 12, 2016

Season 3 has been eventful. In the place of the usual 'End of Season Awards' blog, I will bring you up-to-date with the frantic 2nd half of the season, which saw Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) taken over by Italian Franco Soldati (real life Udinese owner) and go on to win a third consecutive league title. During this time, we also broke our transfer budget by around £8m!

Takeover & Trophies

The goalposts have now changed in my save. 60% of you glorious people voted in favour for me 'adapting' my transfer restrictions. The philosophy of youth development remains but I have removed the limits on wages and transfer costs. So from Season 4 the only restriction will be to have at least 5 Homegrown GCZ players in the match day squad for each domestic match (league and cup).

The takeover commenced during the January transfer window, which meant I was under an embargo for much of it. However, I was able to smash my transfer record with a £11m capture of Niklas Stark from Hertha Berlin. Stark becomes my top earner at £39k per week and brings real potential in the defensive midfield position. I was also able to sign a pre-contract agreement with ex-Grasshopper Fabio Daprelà from Palermo. My policy on transfers is to buy in the positions where youth is not an immediate option, and I felt I was lacking in both the DM and DL position.

Nicklas Stark - the marquee signing of 2017/18 — Nicklas Stark - the **marquee signing of 2017/18**

Trophies

Make no mistake, the third league title has been the hardest to secure. Both Basel and Young Boys pushed me all the way. I was in 1st place for 19 of the 35 weeks and, more worryingly, from Match 25 through to 35 I was not in pole position. I leapfrogged Basel on the final day after 4 straight wins...

It really only matters where you are after match day 36...just ask Basel

With Lugano thumping Basel 3-0, it meant a GCZ-St Gallen draw would be enough to secure the title. However ex-GCZ striker, and the man I bought to Switzlerand, Airam Cabrera scored a penalty against me. Despite this, my bravery in trusting youth was instantly rewarded...up stepped Remo Mahrer to equalise straight away. A regen, who along with Marco Simon, offers a very bright future for GCZ.

I always targetting 2018/19 as Remo's breakthrough season, but outstanding training and regular coach reports 'bent my arm'

The end of season rise in form did not end there. I was able to secure my 2nd domestic double in just 3 years, with a penalty win over Basel:

Another sideshow in this important match was the substitute appearances of Kim Källström & Taye Taiwo. They came on for their final games for GCZ, brought experience and calm to the team...demonstrated by their composed spot kicks in the shoot-out. (I plan to do an appreciation blog post about these two at a later date).

The good run of form at the end of the season is, in part, due to the change of formation. From a 4-3-2-1 asymmetrical formation to more conventional (and symmetrical) 4-2-3-1 . Sometimes in FM you find yourself in a bad run, a good example is my disastrous league form in March (above). It's questionable why this happens, was it that the AI had become too familiar with the regular system I was playing? Or were the players who shaped the 4-3-2-1 system in the first place not performing (Källström & Taiwo for example).

Whatever the reason, sometimes you have to change and adapt. The major changes of this set up was that the attacking Wing Backs became Defensive Full Backs. Instead the width was supplied by the Wingers on attack duty. The centre of the midfield is no longer a Ball Winning pressing game, the DM holds whilst I have removed the Box To Box element.

The attacking runs are now more advanced (in the 4-2-3-1), meaning that the emphasis is now on counter attacking (counter) and not progressive forward ball retention (control)

Season 4 preparations

As mentioned earlier, any new signing has to be a direct improvement on the first XI and now there's serious money at GCZ, I have made one major signing: Franco 'Alexis' López for £5m upfront...rising to £7m in time:

Keep an eye on my Twitter for further developments and thanks for reading. Now back to my save...

FM Grasshopper