Introducing Ángel Bastardo, Estudiantes de La Plata's new manager #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity

October 27, 2016

Today's very short blog is a break from the recent Fame & Fibra series. Instead, I want to take some time to introduce Ángel Bastardo, my new persona for FM17, and also present the Manager attributes I will give him and why.

It's been a year since I wrote 'Investing in the right places: Manager attributes in FM', it's now a good time to resurrect this before many of us embark on our managerial careers on Friday 04 November. But more importantly I want to detail why A.Bastardo will be exceptionally strong in some areas and notably weak in other areas of his managerial makeup.

Bastardo

I have spoken in great detail as to the type of player I want to attract and develop at Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP). These players must have a certain type of 'fibra' and work within a high tempo Counter Attacking system. In my imagination, Ángel Bastardo was a player of near perfect fibra...technically not amazing, but with the passion and workrate to carve out a career in the Argentine Primera División (with Boyhood Club: EdlP) as a tough tackling Centre Back.

Since retiring at 35 he has applied himself within the Argentine coaching structure, and after turning 40 this March, Ángel seeks immediate employment with a Continental Pro License. I will therefore be starting FM17 with a Continental Pro License and Professional Football National Level. This gives me 181 points to invest in either Coaching or Mental attributes. Here's how I look going into FM17:

Manager Attributes in detail

Now I will run down why I have scored each attribute accordingly. You will notice that nothing is rated 20, with the hope that Bastardo is long enough in the job to improve attributes to 20 over time...

Coaching

A.Bastardo is more of a tracksuit manager than anything else. He is at best in the faces of his players on the training field, educating them on the finer (and darker) arts of anti-fútbol.

Attacking 10 - One of the weaker attributes here. Mainly because I hope to be playing more conservative football...with only one or two attackers in a 1st XI. For this reason I prefer to invest in Defending.

Defending 18 - Because every positive result is built from a solid base. My players need to be a strong defensive unit for the tactic to succeed. By investing in Defending, I can improve my holistic defensive training.

Fitness 17 - A high tempo approach to games requires good stamina and quickness. This is even more important because I am likely to be conceding possession for long periods of the game. The Counter Attack requires explosion & speed: fitness is key.

Goalkeepers 1 - I figure that I can probably get a good Goalkeeping coach here to take the burden away from me. I would give this 0 if I could!

Tactical & Mental 18 - For the reasons why Defending & Fitness are key, I have put 18 points in both Tactical & Mental. My whole game is based around managing fibra and using it to my advantage. I would be foolish to take points away from these coaching attributes.

Technical 10 - I am not overly concerned by the technical attributes of my players. Fibra will be key in how the players work within the system. More learned coaches can come in an help with this aspect, I have therefore scored 10. Bastardo can do 5 kick ups on the training field...nothing more.

Working with Youngsters 18 - I love Youth Development and I really hope I can develop a few good youngsters from La Plata. Part of the reasons for choosing EdlP was to also produce a Homegrown XI, sending eleven EdlP graduates to Europe to grace Western Europe.

Mental

Adaptability 1 - Bastardo is a One Club man. I don't care for other clubs to come in for him and his wish is to remain in La Plata for all of FM17. I therefore need no score in this Mental attribute whatsoever.

Determination 17 - This attribute governs how successful you are with Board requests. I need to be a tough negotiator with a certain Juan Sebastián Verón around as Club Chairman. "The only thing that gives order, is balls" - Tony Montana.

Player Knowledge & Youngster Knowledge 1 - I play without Attribute Masking on. Some consider this to be cheating, but I really do not (so deal with it). (1) I don't have the real life time to do a preliminary scout anymore and (2) why should I [have attribute masking on] seeing as the AI doesn't have it on either? Nevertheless all targets will be scouted anyway, especially seeing as I am searching for a finite type of player in FM17 and I love to see more about players behind their front-facing attributes. No need to have points invested here at all.

Man Management, Level of Discipline & Motivating 17 - I like to be in control with all matters of personnel conversation: players angling for a better contract, PPM development or simple tunnel interviews with the media. I therefore want A.Bastardo to be a good talker, communicating a strong level of discipline and get the troops motivated.

One week to go...

So just over one week to go before Ángel Bastardo faces the media on Friday 04 November for the first time. It is surely going to be one hell of a roller coaster. Stay tuned for plenty of Twitter updates (@FM_Grasshopper) throughout the day, which I've taken off from work. If all goes to plan, I will most likely play a good 10 hours of FM before I have to pick up my two year old daughter from day care. It's the one day of the year devoted to ME...it's Christmas, New Year, Birthday, Everything all rolled into one! I can't wait :-)

I hope this article has been thought provoking and will help in some way when thinking about what manager to create. As always thank you for reading & sharing,

FMG

Fame & Fibra in La Plata - Part 2 #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity

October 22, 2016

Ex-Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) Manager Diego Simeone's tactical approach is gaining quite a substantial following. The fundamentals in his philosophy are seen as an alternative to the possession-centric systems we've seen dominate the upper echelons of competitive football over the last 10-15 years. Yet, in the aftermath of Pep Guardiola's unhappy return to the Camp Nou with Manchester City, with Pep later admitting that he will not change his approach...ever. Is Diego Simeone now the best hope in changing the face of football with his organised Counter Attacking approach to football?

This blog will not address that question, but it will touch on my tactical approach in Football Manager 2017 (FM17) and my love for Simeone's philosophy and the Counter Attack. I'll also look at how EdlP are shaping up in terms of 'fibra' in FM17- a collective quality that acts as the driver for player recruitment in my FM17 save . For a catch up on what fibra is and where it came from, read Part 1 of the series here.

Teamwork

There is something about the Counter Attack that I've always found appealing. When you see it done properly it's a demonstration of athletic ability, footballing skill and teamwork[1]. Yet, in my opinion, it's widely overlooked in favour of possession orientated systems for most FMers - largely seen as more attractive.

The Counter Attack is a balancing act of finding the right concoction of players in order to make a disciplined unit. Something my youth coach tried to do with my 10 year old teammates and I back in the mid 1990s (perhaps he saw our 'kick-and-rush' approach too may times and abandoned plans of actually doing anything else). One of his many groans during our stumbling kick-and-rush has stayed with me all these years:

"The faster you do something, the harder it is!"

Quite a basic quote, but I 'think' our Coach main issue was addressing to us that the Counter Attack requires a team ethic. When reading up on EdlP's history and anything to do with Diego Simeone[2], the 'team' is central to footballing beliefs. I have noted 10 'buzzwords' whilst reading on this subject during the last few weeks:

Aggression
Collective effort
Commitment
Fighting
Organisation
Practical
Sacrifice
Simplicity
Talent
Team

The above assisted with shaping my fibra plans in FM17. Not just in player recruitment but also in the football I want to play...

[1] Still to do this day, my favorite team goal is this beautiful/effective/simple Counter Attack.

[2] Even as far as Diego Simeone insisting that teammates eat lunches/dinners on an shared table, rather than within several smaller groups.

Current squad's fibra

From Day 1 in my EdlP, I am blessed with eight players who meet or exceed the 55/80 fibra threshold. A further three players are 50-54, with the remaining twelve players not meeting the threshold. This doesn't mean I will look to offload them straight away, but unless they can improve, their days at EdlP are numbered. Here is the First Team fibra scores:

A natural abundance of fibra at EdlP, assisting my plans for an effective Counter Attack

Age is a slight correlating factor, the older the player...generally the more fibra he will have. This brings about an added challenge, as those players closer to retirement will also have to be replaced with players of equal fibra:

Our trend-line here shows a correlation of age with fibra

Using fibra in FM17

So with all of the above in mind, I've had a few nights of playing around with the FM17 beta's match engine...in order to try and fashion out a semi-working tactic for the 04 November release (where I will embark on my EdlP journey for real). Disclaimer: I accelerated the start of my save to the point at which the Argentine Primera División starts. The knock-on from this is that no tactical familiarity was in place and the AI had not rotated enough players to increase match sharpness. I also had not signed anybody...it's the EdlP as it is from Day 1.

Using the 10 points highlighted earlier, I approach games mostly as a 4-4-2. The desire is to keep it organised and simple. The team has no primary playmaker, I've taken this decision because it would slow our attack down considerably, instead Lucas Viatri as a Deep Lying Forward offers some link up play. During matches I have changed it to 4-1-4-1 DM to 'shut up shop', by taking out the Advanced Forward: Carlos Auzqui.

EdlP Away at Banfield had a cumulative Fibra score of 568 out of a possible 880

Whilst on the subject of top scorer Carlos Auzqui (who has 6 goals in 6 appearances), you may be interested to see that he isn't naturally a Central Striker (below). Yet he has made the team based on his unquestionable fibra rating of 56 (notably high Teamwork & Workrate). Auzqui's work ethic sees him get around the pitch really well as demonstrated in his MOTM performance against Independiente. Scoring 2 goals and being the constant outlet for my team's passes. He has been a shining example of the Commitment and Sacrifice needed to make a system such as this work.

For the most part, I have kept it simple with Team Instructions...normally selecting just 3 or 4 in a game. Below are the instructions at (1) my most defensive shape away from home and (2) my more flexible approach at home. Both systems have narrow width, emulating Simeone's Atlético Madrid style. By being narrow, I am compact and prevent the AI from scoring opportunities. Something which has been a real success in the beta, where I have only given away 3 Clear Cut Chances (CCC) in 6 games (4 games where the AI had no CCC whatsoever).

And the bit you've been waiting for, the results in those first 6 competitive games:

The green overlay is games under my management.  Before that it was the AI — The green overlay is games under my management. Before that it was the AI

The couple of short snippets below from the FM17 beta match engine demonstrate some of the principals of EdlP & Simeone discussed earlier: Aggression, Collective effort, Commitment, Fighting, Organisation, Practical, Sacrifice, Simplicity, Talent & Team...

1. Carlos Auzqui on the counter (Vs Banfield away)

Highlighting the defensive shape and quick counter attack in seconds (Organisation, Practical & Simplicity)...

2. Turnovers of play & directness (Vs Club Atlético Huracán away)

Highlighting Aggression, Collective effort, Commitment & Sacrifice...

Conclusions

It's v.early days to confirm if the fibra tactic and philosophy can bring lasting success to EdlP. But 5 wins and 1 draw, including 3 straight clean sheets, leaves me with a lot of hope. I will power up the save on Friday 04 November and will micro-manage the recruitment, training & tactical familiarity...something I have not done whatsoever in this FM17 beta save. In theory, this should enhance the system even more right?

Part III of Fame & Fibra will most likely coincide with the release of FM17 and will detail my fibra transfer targets in order to add further depth and mental strength to the team. Until then, I will be casually looking for targets on the beta DB. But with the attempt of actively trying to take a break from FM...because we all know Winter IS coming...and FM17 comes with it :-)

As always, thanks in advance for your comments, readership & sharing. It's really appreciated.

FMG

Fame & Fibra in La Plata - Part 1 #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity

October 16, 2016

Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) have a rich history of embracing the collective team qualities of teamwork & work rate. The basis of their domestic & continental successes[1] in the late 1960s was built on the foundation of all eleven players knowing their tactical instructions, their positions and the movements of their teammates. It's widely acknowledged that this successful EdlP team were not the best ball players in Argentina, let alone South America. But they were certainly one of the toughest teams ever assembled, as demonstrated in their unsavory 1969 Intercontinental Cup Final loss against AC Milan. With several Milan players being left unconscious during the match - the worse treatment was left for Nestor Combin (an Argentinean-born striker playing for AC Milan) who was left unconscious along with a broken nose and cheekbone. EdlP and their manager at the time, Osvaldo Zubeldia, had introduced the World to a style that years later would be coined: 'anti-fútbol': the commitment towards collective effort and simplicity (with added bruising).

Nestor Combin after EdlP vs Milan in 1969

Fast forward over three Decades to 2006, and EdlP once again found the right mixture of energy and teamwork. Diego Simeone only spent a season with EdlP (2006-07) but his time in La Plata allowed him to refine his tactical style, which is now being seen successfully at Atlético Madrid[2]. Simeone ended EdlP's 23 year wait for Domestic success, building his team around the precise playmaking abilities of 31 year old Juan Sebastián Verón and the energy and commitment of two strikers in a 4-4-2...experienced 35 year old José Luis Calderón and upcoming Rookiee, 24 year old Mariano Pavone. As demonstrated in the famous 7-0 'máxima goleada del clásico platense' against rivals Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.

Diego Simeone is making a name for himself as the best manager to stop tiki-taka football.  Expect those in England to come calling once Pep Guardiola succeeds in England — Diego Simeone is making a name for himself as the best manager to stop tiki-taka football. Expect those in England to come calling once Pep Guardiola succeeds in England

It seems EdlP has played the best and worst kinds of 'anti-fútbol' throughout its rich history, but nevertheless it's a style that is intrinsic to the Club. It's therefore my aim in FM17 to replicate this style of football, which brings about the 1st part of my 'Fame & Fibra in La Plata' series. Today's blog outlines how the style will drive my player recruitment in FM17.

Notes:

[1] Three straight Copa Libertadores (1968-1970) and a Runners Up place (1971). A 1968 Intercontinental Cup win and a 1969 Runners Up place.

[2] As demonstrated by Atlético's aggregate win against Barcelona in 2016. A game of contrasting styles, where collective team spirit within a high tempo/highly structured tactic took down Barcelona's possession style.

Fiber (or Fibra)

Firstly, I need to define what 'fiber' is and how it translates into the Football Manager games. As Jonathan Wilson documents, in his superb 'Inverting The Pyramid' book, Diego Simeone's footballing upbringing at Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield was the grounding for the tactical instructions we see today at Atlético. Simeone's Youth Team manager at the time, Vélez Legend Victorio Spinetto was obsessed with finding players of a specific kind of 'fibra'. For him, a player's fiber needed to be one of self-sacrifice...where only players who give absolutely everything on the pitch can ever be considered 'Great Players'.

Simeone at Vélez, the embodiment of Spinetto's fibra

In Football Manager, I consider the below attributes key in finding Spinetto's fibra (all Mental):

Aggression - a highly aggressive player is more likely to get involved in physical situations
Determination - a highly determined player is more likely to help the team fight back from losing positions or improve his own poor performance during matches
Teamwork - a player with a high teamwork attribute will follow tactical instructions and complements the attacking/defensive units of the team
Workrate - a player with a high workrate will exert more of his physical capability during a match

So now let's see how this will drive my player recruitment, in what I have deemed the 'Fiber Score'...

Over 25s Fiber Score

BREAKING: Lionel Messi will not be signing for Estudiantes de La Plata in FM17 — BREAKING: Lionel Messi will **not** be signing for Estudiantes de La Plata in FM17

We'll start with the Elder-statesmen of the team. Any player joining EdlP over the age of 25, will have to have a combined attribute score equal to or exceeding 55 (out of the 80 possible). This equates to an average attribute score of 13.75 in the 4 Mentals listed above. The likes of Lionel Messi, who often has a combined attribute score of 47 from these Mentals in previous editions, are likely to miss out on my recruitment. Yes, you read that right, do not expect me to sign Lionel Messi in FM17!

Finances are tight in Argentina...so when I bring a player in at EdlP at the age of 25 and above, I'd expect him to be near his peak. This is why the threshold appears high - if I am to really find players of the right fiber, I need to be relentless in my approach.

As a side, I wish to keep my Domestic Player Bias quite high in this save. So I am restricting myself to only one non-Argentine 25 year + signing per season. After this, any other player joining me above the age of 25 must have Argentine Nationality (either 1st or 2nd).

Fiber Score for over 25s:

25 year old (and over) recruits must have a combined 'Fiber score' of at least 55 (average of 13.75 across the 4 Mental attributes).

18-24s Fiber Score

Alexis Sánchez's relentless workrate was ideal for Simeone's River Plate team.  His FM16 Fiber rating is 61 :-) — Alexis Sánchez's relentless workrate was ideal for Simeone's River Plate team. His FM16 Fiber rating is 61 :-)

Just like Diego Simeone, I want to work with the best young talents South America can offer. For instance during his time at Club Atlético River Plate, Simone worked with Colombian talent Radamel Falcao and Chillian Alexis Sánchez. So between the age range of 18 and 24 I will relax the nationality quotas slightly. I will therefore allow myself to sign up to two South American players aged 18-24 per season. However, all 18-24 recruits will have to adhere to the strict Fiber Scores:

18-24 year old recruits must have a combined 'Fiber score' of at least 50 (average of 12.5 across the 4 Mental attributes).

Youth Intake

This is where I will have to be more careful in my approach. My aim at EdlP is to ultimately produce players who naturally have 'EdlP fiber' in their DNA, but special attention must be taken to ensure that I don't let good players go before giving them the chance to develop. I am therefore proposing to sign the best 5 players in each annual youth intake (based on my assessment of their ability), regardless of their Fiber Score...on the condition that they meet the 50 threshold on their 21st Birthday.

At that point, EdlP Academy graduates who do not make a combined Fiber Score of 50 will either be sold or asked to run down their contracts. It's a brutal but fair approach, something which Simeone, Spinetto & Zubeldia would support.

The five best Academy players are signed each season, each one must have a combined 'Fiber score' of at least 50 (average of 12.5 across the 4 Mental attributes) on the day of their 21st Birthday. Failure to do this will result in an end to their relationship with EdlP.

Next up in Fame & Fibra...

Today's blog has introduced the idea of 'fiber' and where it came from. I've also outlined how it will drive my player recruitment, as I aim to install the right fiber at EdlP for anti-fútbol to flourish. The next post in the 'Fame & Fibra in La Plata' series is to document how I am actually going to bring about the style at EdlP via formations and tactical instructions. This will most likely be released once the FM17 Beta is launched, which will allow me to test a few things first.

Until then, thanks for reading.

FMG

Why Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) in #FM17? #WeAreTheCommunity

October 12, 2016

From Friday 04 November 2016 I will be managing Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) in the Argentine Primera División. I am making the 11,300 km journey from Zürich to La Plata and there are so many reasons why I am looking forward to my EdlP adventure. Today's short blog details four of these reasons, whilst additionally highlighting some aspirations I have for FM2017...

(1) Reunion with a CM legend: El Presidente

When choosing a team in Football Manager, I often check to see what past CM/FM legends are up to in the World of Football. After all, deciding to manage Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) in FM16 was made that much easier by the presence of CM legend Kim Källström.

This time the CM legend isn't going to be my Captain...instead he is going to be my Boss! EdlP Club Chairman Juan Sebastián Verón is often used in England as an example of an expensive transfer flop: a player who never lived up to their reputation. But if you look deeper, his career should in no way be considered a failure. With an International career spanning 14 years that included three World Cup appearances (1998, 2002 & 2010) and a trophy haul in both Europe and South America...Juan Sebastián Verón's career was very special. His legendary status in the South American game was cemented in 2009 when he captained his boyhood club (EdlP) to Copa Libertadores success - ending their 39 year wait for a Continental trophy.

Born 09 March 1975, the same day as EdlP drew 3-3 with their cross city rivals, Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Verón's affiliation to EdlP was never in question. This Derby draw was noteworthy for the fact that Verón's father decided to play in that game. Juan Ramón Verón, or La Bruja (the Witch) as he is known, played in what's arguably EdlP's greatest ever team: winning three straight Copa Libertadores (1968, 1969 & 1970). To this day, that EdlP team are the only true 'tricampeon' of the Copa Libertadores.

EdlP simply resides in the Verón bloodline. Having a Chairman like Verón, who loves the Club, is always a bonus. As I already experienced, from my 10 year spell at GCZ, the difficulty of working with owners who are Businessman as opposed to fans of the club [1].

[1] I had two owners during my time at GCZ (Stephan Anliker and Franco Soldati), both whom never really gave me their full backing.

(2) Utter Unpredictability

It's hard to escape the term 'Big 5' when reading anything on Argentine football. The Big 5 refers to the five most supported clubs in Argentina, they are: Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club, River Plate and San Lorenzo de Almagro. Between them, they represent around 80% of the footballing fan-base in Argentina. Furthermore, for over 30 years no team outside of the Big 5 won the league, until that golden EdlP team won the league in 1967.

The modern era is a direct contrast, with 12 different teams winning the last 20 Championships. One of the big factors for this unpredictability is the Big 5 (or any club for that matter) not being able to hold onto their star players - as European Clubs can cherry pick who they want from South America. Just as Boca's Fernando Gago made his switch to Real Madrid for €20.4m in 2007, Éver Banega stepped up...only to be moved over to Spain a year later (this time to Valencia CF) for €20m.

The unpredictability of the league attracts me. During FM16 I've been fighting off FC Basel (and only FC Basel) whilst on my way to 10 consecutive league titles. To fight off a whole load of teams is much more satisfying (admittedly more terrifying as well).

(3) The Homegrown XI v2

One of my major aims in FM16 was to develop a successful Homegrown XI (a successful 1st team full of Academy educated players), in the 10 years of management at GCZ I came close...but I was ultimately unsuccessful. It was ridiculously difficult to keep hold of my talents - the European Heavyweights' interference persisted. Despite the challenges, I consider Youth Development to be the most satisfying aspect within FM and I want revisit this again for FM17.

You're therefore probably questioning why I am choosing Argentina, after drawing upon the Banega/Gago example above (and my own difficulties of keeping Academy products away from the like of Barcelona & Bayern). But what if the Homegrown XI is NOT a concurrent First X1 at EdlP? Rather my challenge is to produce a Homegrown XI that IS exported to Europe's top 5 leagues: England, France, Germany, Italy & Spain.

With this in mind, I wish to produce eleven Academy players to make the circa 12,000 km trip from La Plata to Europe within a classic 4-4-2 formation: x1 GK, x2 Full Backs, x2 Central Defenders, x2 Central Midfielders, x2 Wingers and x2 Attackers. By putting them into a formation, I am encouraging myself to produce players of all positions - making it a bit more challenging. As and when this happens in my save, I will update the below graphic with the <Player Name> and <European Club> in their respective position:

As and when an EdlP Academy prospect is sold to either: Bundesliga, English Premier League, La Liga, Ligue Un or Serie A, he enters the 'EdlP Homegrown XI'

(4) A return to '1 y 57'

During the finale of the 2004/05 season, EdlP waved goodbye to the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium, affectionately known as 1 y 57 (due it being located on 1st Avenue between 55th-57th streets in La Plata). Since then the Club has used La Plata's 53,000 seater Estadio Único, which is owned by the Province of Buenos Aires, and administered jointly by the provincial government, the Municipality of La Plata. However, El Presidente Veron has made it his personal mission to see EdlP return home to 1 y 57 once again. The new 1 y 57 is to hold 23,000 fans and 'should' be delivered in 2017 (although the relocation is already 3-4 years delayed).

It's Veron's personal mission (and underlying Presidential campaign) to see EdlP home — It's Veron's personal mission (and underlying Presidential campaign) to see EdlP home

It will be interesting to see if this stadium move has been included in the Day 1 FM17 Database. In my opinion it certainly should be, seeing as that seats are already in place and EdlP actively selling Season Ticket places. It's something to see once FM17 Beta launches.

Seeing EdlP return home has some romance to it. It's would also address another failure of mine in FM16, as I was never able to end GCZ's awful ground-share arrangement with bitter rivals FC Zürich.

Raring to go...

A new El Presidente inspired Twitter header for FM17, courtesy of Barry Downes (@barryOdownes)

So that's my four main reasons for managing EdlP in FM17: a CM legend, an unpredictable league, a new homegrown project and a potential new stadium. This post could also have been so much longer. For instance, I've not yet mentioned Martín Palermo - who started at EdlP before becoming another cult CM hero of mine whilst playing for Boca Juniors. Or why EdlP are known as 'Los Pincharratas' (The Rat Stabbers). But I plan to blog a bit more in the coming weeks in order to alleviate some of the pain of not playing FM regularly.

I patiently wait for Beta, where I can really get to grips about how EdlP set up tactically and review the current playing squad. I am raring to go, hope you guys are too.

Thanks for reading.

FMG

Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: 10 years without Swartzendruber #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

October 7, 2016

Football Manager (FM) is a peculiar drug. During Football Manager 2016, I have fallen in love with two players that will never exist. I have also started to follow a Club I have never seen play live, let alone visit the country that they play in! This is what FM can do. It creates fandom in the unlikeliest of places. I've spend 10 glorious in game years in Zürich, becoming Grasshopper Club Zürich's (GCZ) most successful manager with 15 major titles: 10 Swiss Super League titles & 5 Swiss Cups.

Today's blog is the FINAL FM16 content post you will read here. It's an insight into a 10 year projection (to the in game year of 2035) to see what has happened to GCZ without its legendary manager: Loïc Swartzendruber...

Turmoil at the top

During the 10 years simulated, GCZ had SEVEN permanent managers (9 if you count the caretaker positions). There has been incredible unrest, perhaps amplified by Franco Soldati selling the Club 5 years into the 10 year simulation (2030). Perhaps this was to be expected, whilst he pretty much gave up on financing the Club part way through my GCZ save - leaving me to fight off Financial Fair Play in Season 9.

In fact, the most successful manager in the above list was Ole Gunnar Solskjær...who was sacked in only his second season. A shame considering he led GCZ to a league title the season before. Soldati's ruthlessness came as Solskjær won only once in nine games during October/November 2026.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær: GCZ's second most successful manager in 20 years, cut loose at the first sign of trouble :-( — Ole Gunnar Solskjær: GCZ's second most successful manager in 20 years, cut loose at the first sign of trouble :-(

The below graphic clearly shows the decline at GCZ after 'The Swartzendruber Years'. Green overlay is the time before Loïc Swartzendruber, Gold represents the glory years and Red overlay is the dark times:

The conclusion of the 2034/35 season saw GCZ slip to 8th in the league (in a league of 10!)

I could spend ages charting everything that went wrong with GCZ under AI management, but it boils down to two things: (1) GCZ not being able to recover after losing Champions League revenue in 2027/28 after an 8-1 aggregate loss against AS Monaco in a CL Qualifier. (2) A transfer policy of minimal player movements. For some reason the AI Management is not a good seller. In 5 of the 10 years GCZ could not sell players exceeding a combined value £2m. Instead they were experts in letting BIG players like Roman Bürki, Remo Mahrer, Nikola Vlasic, Julian Weigl & Richairo Zivkovic leave the club on Free Transfers. This not only impacted on the money received, but also it meant GCZ could not compete in the Transfer Market. In fact, in 6 of the 10 years simulated...GCZ did not sign a single player! Personally, this kind of decline is self-inflicted.

The result is that the Swiss Super League has returned to its familiar predictability of FC Basel dominating the Champions spot:

FC Basel have won 6 league titles in the 10 simulated years, including the last 3 seasons

Swartzendruber's Legacy

One legacy that has remained intact is the production line of talent that GCZ generate. Before I arrived GCZ already had a good youth system, but this was enhanced during my 10 years there. Alongside the improvement of training and youth facilities, the coaching staff was instilled with professionalism. The result has been a conveyor belt of talent, and it's actually been quite satisfying to see the fruits of my labour.

In the 10 years I simulated GCZ sold Academy talent for a combined value of £32.66m. Some of these players have gone on to play for some of Europe's biggest clubs: Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool to name a few.

The only criticism I could say is that some of the talent was sold too early. A further 1-2 years of Swiss Super League First Team football would have seen them reach the values of Marco Simon (sold to Olympique Lyonnais for £20M) and Nikola Gjorgjev (sold to Barcelona for £30m). The 3 prime examples are shown below:

GCZ finally produced a decent winger (grrrr)!  French/Swiss Rudi Rollet was sold to OL for £3.2m.  Now worth £19m. — GCZ finally produced a decent winger (grrrr)! French/Swiss Rudi Rollet was sold to OL for £3.2m. Now worth £19m.

Aldin Velagic continues the trend of a 'Grasshopper Visionary Midfielder' with a great first touch.  Sold to rivals Young Boys for £6.25m...before moving to Juventus for £14.5m — Aldin Velagic continues the trend of a 'Grasshopper Visionary Midfielder' with a great first touch. Sold to rivals Young Boys for £6.25m...before moving to Juventus for £14.5m

Nexhat Berisha sold for £5.25m, a well rounded decisive central midfielder

It does make me wonder what I could have done with these youngsters, the Homegrown XI could have become a successful reality...

GCZ's Golden Generation - where are they now?

So I have spoken about the Regens who you have never heard about, what about the Top 5 Regens that came through whilst under my management? Here are the Top 5 Regens I produced at GCZ, with the notable exceptions of Marco Simon & Remo Mahrer (who you really should know about by now). The top 5 isn't based on ability, it's more a gauge of my 'connection' with them...

5. Jan Lange

Jan would definitely be higher on this list of players, if it not for him joining GCZ in the twilight of my spell in Zürich. He arrived as a 16 year old as a flamboyant Centre Forward who was already a competent finisher. During the last two years of my time at GCZ, I gave him 4 league starts. He only repaid me with one goal, scoring against Wangen b. Olten in the Swiss Cup during Season 9. But I saw enough in him, in the way he picked up Franco López's PPMs with ease, and the way he applied himself in training.

Since I left GCZ, Jan spent a loan in Holland with ADO Den Haag. He then spent another year back at GCZ scoring 18 goals in all competitions before leaving on a Free Transfer to Luzern. Since then he was gone on to excel at RSC Anderlecht, scoring 107 league goals in 211 league appearances. He has been recognised Internationally and now has 32 caps with 10 goals. He is Remo Mahrer's deputy, meaning that he is next in line for the Swiss Captaincy...in what would be a hat-trick of Swiss Captains coming from the GCZ Academy (after Marcon Simon & Remo Mahrer).

Here is Jan in 2035:

Hard to see all those goals being scored, whilst away from GCZ

4. Stephan Hotz

Stephan Hotz joined GCZ as part of the February 2019 intake (my 4th intake). He had a great First Touch and his Heading was very good, but there were things in his game that I didn't like: his average Bravery to play the Target Man role, his One Footedness and his poor Finishing.

An incredible 13 first team goals in 19 games in all comps changed my mind about him. What he lacked in Flair and trickery, he made up for with big goals. It was not long before a European Superpower came calling, and in the Summer of 2022 Hotz left us for Fußball-Club Bayern München in a £6.5m fee. I did however arrange a 2 year loan deal, meaning that he continued his development with me. A further 21 goals in 38 games cemented his place in GCZ fans' hearts.

What might have been if only Hotz had stayed longer...

But since leaving me, the AI has never really utilised him. He never played for Bayern's 1st team and was bought back to Switzerland by FC Basel - where he was quite average. More recently he has been in Turkey for the last four season with Sivasspor playing only 5 times!

We can only dream of what may have been, if he and Swartzendruber remained at GCZ together...

3. Goran Vukoja

I remember being really excited by Goran Vukoja in 2019, when he registered 24 assists in 51 appearances in his first full season with GCZ Under 18s. The Youth Team went unbeaten that year, led by their Captain Marco Simon.

Physically advanced for 17 years old, Goran learnt his trade from Swiss International Fabio Daprelà

It didn't take long before Goran was itching to play, so I organised several loan deals within the Swiss Super League: Thun, Sion and St. Gallen. He did enough to earn a contract on his return and he played 16 games in all competitions during my 7th season at GCZ. However, Olympiakos came calling the Summer after with a £2.1m bid. I decided to sell, but looking back it was certainly the wrong decision. He was a great athlete and very defensively minded with good Concentration.

The Elder Statesman of the GCZ team in 2035

A regular in the GCZ Left Back spot now for 10 years

We did reunite though: in my last 6 months at GCZ, arriving for a cut price £1.5m deal. Goran has since gone on to make a further 395 appearances in all competitions for GCZ. He is now Vice Captain at GCZ.

2. Lukas Oswald

Sometimes good can come from what seems to be the most darkest of moments. Lukas Oswald's coming of age was just that, a brave performance during THAT Semi Final exit away to Olympique Lyonnais. Lukas was in the side during those two legs, due to Julian Weigl's broken leg. He stepped up admirably despite only being 20 years of age, bossing the midfield with fellow Academy player Nuno Gouveia in the 1st leg. Before scoring what I thought was the crucial away goal to send us to the EURO Cup final. I left GCZ with great frustration. But Lukas was the player to build around. A beautiful passer who covered a lot of ground...he was the Roaming Playmaker to take GCZ to the next level.

Lukas Oswald at 17 years old, destined for stardom.

Unfortunately GCZ cashed in only 6 months after I left the Club. I would never have the sanctioned the deal, and Chairman Franco Soldati probably knows that. Liverpool paid £13m to take Lukas to Merseyside and despite losing 4 finals with Liverpool...he eventually won a European medal:

A EURO Cup winner (at last) after two Runners up medals before that.
English Community Shield Runner Up
European Super Cup Runner Up

1. Nuno Gouveia

Part IV of The Marco & Remo Diaries was almost renamed to include 'Nuno' in the title, that's how much I rated this kid. I had sold Marco Simon, on the basis that Nuno Gouveia would one day be as influential for GCZ. Nuno was part of my 3rd Youth Intake, and at 17 years old he was already ridiculous:

It only took 4 years until Nuno Gouveia was a mainstay in the GCZ midfield...learning from the likes of Model Citizen Angelo Palombo en route to the top. Nuno developed a Professional attitude and became an influential player alongside Weigl and Kramer during my final season at GCZ.

Years before that, I had rejected bids in excess of £5m from Bayern and Juventus for Nuno. In the Swartzendruber era, if you wanted my talent...you had to pay a premium. So as I left GCZ, I was under no impression that he'd ever stay at GCZ and become a 'One Club Man'. The European Elite awaited...or did it?

The answer is 'No', the European Elite never came in for Nuno and he has amassed a staggering 429 league appearances for GCZ...he has beaten Mats Grens's total of 427 league appearances and sits 2nd in the all time appearance list for GCZ. 2nd behind a certain Remo Mahrer (who has 473 league appearances for GCZ).

Model Professional Nuno Gouveia replaced Remo Mahrer as Captain of GCZ in the Summer of 2032. He is now the icon fans turn to in order to lift the shadow over the Club...

Ein blick in die Zukunft....

Well this is it, the end of my 1,026 hour FM16 save. I have summarised the decline, evaluated the youth and now it's time to thank you for all reading and engaging with me about my GCZ story. It's been a pleasure. I have also collated all of my FM16 content into one place, visit: fmgrasshopper.com/fm16. This includes over twenty GCZ blog posts and ten FM guides, enjoy.

I WILL return to blog during FM17, that's for certain. So expect posts (and plenty of tweeting) during November and beyond. I hope to announce the club sometime week commencing 10 October. This will be via an introductory post - laying out the plans and aspirations, for what is expected to be another rollercoaster ride. I've been trying to put it to the back of my mind, so that I sign off the GCZ save with the time and commitment it deserves.

Thanks again,

FMG