"Campeones" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

Previously on La Plata: Colombia, Hugo Ojeda made the sacrifice and unified Mexico.

 

“We're flying high

We're watching the world pass us by

Never want to come down

Never want to put my feet back down on the ground”

(Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again - 1987)

 

Intro

Winning a Copa Libertadores with a club outside of Argentina or Brazil is no easy task. There’s a huge gulf in money, facilities and the quality of player between the two bigger footballing nations and their post-colonial cousins. For example, I had tried to do this in the four seasons with Peñarol in FM20 and only got as far as a single Quarter Final appearance.

Yet by 2023, in FM21, my Barranquilla Boys had done it! Junior Club 2-0 São Paulo, and in our own stadium too: El Metro (an increasingly rare situation given CONMEBOL’s decision to have neutral venue single finals). It’s probably the best way to win the greatest South American club prize, and I couldn’t have scripted it any better even if I had tried.

Today’s post reflects on the successful trophy laden second half of 2023, and I’ll be discussing exactly what this means for the save going forward. Are there heights still to reach? Can I still find a challenge on the shores of the Caribbean Coast? I guess you have to read on to find out…

Season 2023

It’s been the most successful 6-month period in Junior Club’s 99-year history, and I’m going to introduce the 2023 competitions in the chronological order we won them. So, first up is the 2023 Copa Colombia which was won in early November. The win had ended a 5 year wait for Junior fans to toast domestic cup success, and it was all relatively straight forward with only Millonarios testing us…

Hugo Ojeda’s 5th trophy was secured with a 4-1 aggerate win Vs Atlético Bucaramanga.

The second trophy in the month of November was the BIG one: the 2023 Copa Libertadores. Prior to the showpiece final in front of our own fans, we had been on a really exciting run against the strongest clubs from Brazil (being the only side outside of Brazil from the Quarter Final onwards). The watershed moment, where I really started to believe we might just be able to do something special, came in that QF 1st leg Vs tournament favourites Flamengo. A man down after 13 minutes due to Fabián Ángel’s straight red, we rallied to a 2-1 victory with Caraballo & Laquintana scoring. My belief was reinforced with a solid 1-0 away win in the Maracanã 2nd leg.

 

Hugo Ojeda’s 6th Junior trophy was seen by a maximum capacity crowd of 49,612 spectators (24,806 away).

 

There was a lot to be fearful of São Paulo going into the party final. Not only had they steamrolled through the knockout stages with ease, they had the Brazilian Goldenboy Brenner at their disposal. The 23-year-old had, at that point, scored 33 goals in the 2023 year and looked destined to get his hands on South America’s greatest continental trophy. Cue some insanity from the AI, who omitted him from the Match Day squad (presumably on the basis that he was slightly fatigued from playing 3 days earlier).

The decision once again opened the floodgates in my mind: we could do this! I’d honestly get no better chance, and with Ed Wilson and FM Samo at my virtual side on Twitch…we smashed it. A deserved 2-0 performance, and with no real drama…just a solid and professional piece of game management from the help of two of the best England-based FM Bloggers. Personally, the result is up there with the Estudiantes Copa Libertadores wins of FM18, and I’m still feeling the effects of this particular FM high! Here are the GIFGoals…

Lautaro Giannetti making great use of the trait: “Tries Long Range Passes”.

Lautaro Giannetti’s 1st goal for Junior, securing his place in Junior legend.

2023 Clausura

The Copa Colombia win had already guaranteed 2024 Copa Libertadores Group Stage participation, so there was less pressure on us to go ahead and win the 2023 Closing Stage. It also meant I could rotate and rest players ahead of the Copa Libertadores Final, seeing as this important game was sandwiched in the middle of the [already congested] Semi Final Group Stage period. The really promising thing is that some games had as many as seven academy players in them and they never really once looked out-of-place:

Despite there being less fmpressure on me, it’s still a title up for grabs, and having lost the previous two finals (2022 Closing and 2023 Opening)…I really wanted to win. I guess Millonarios really wanted it too, we had beaten them in two league finals in this save already (2021 Closing and 2022 Opening). There is definitely a bitter rivalry developing here, and we kept up tradition with a third consecutive final win Vs the capital club:

Hugo Ojeda’s 7th trophy and third league title.

My favourite goal of the finals came from 49 goal Ricardo Caraballo. Why? Well, it just highlights the confidence he has when put through and with a man, or two, to beat. I’ve already raved about him in a previous blog post, and I asked you whether he’d surpass 50 goals. 54% of votes (55) were proved right, having chosen 32-50 goals. Well done if you were one of these visionaries, I’m really proud of you.

Caraballogol: 49 goals in 2023, so close to the bastard half century!

My FM21 Checklist + Next Steps

Remember this checklist from my FM21 save introduction? Don’t worry if not, it’s been a while. I like setting objectives or parameters for my FM saves, it grounds the realism a bit more and helps me keep at a save long-term. Back in November 2020 I set myself seven aims, and I am delighted to complete three of them already. I’ll update on each one below…

 
 

Trophies and Legacies (Aims 1-3)

Essentially these three aims were carryovers from FM20. As alluded in my introduction, FM20 Peñarol left me thirsty for continental glory…the Copa Libertadores is the trophy in South America and I am delighted to win Junior’s 1st ever continental honours. The Club World Cup is the next logical super trophy to acquire, and this is going to be tough. Not only because I have to wait two years (until Summer 2025) to enter into FIFA’s new format, but also because we could look like a completely different side by then.

Why? Because (3) is all about using Academy players and I accept that I am going to have to break up this team in one or two areas to allow a really talented crop of youngsters to flourish. I already mentioned it previously, but over the tail end of 2023 I was playing many 16-17 year olds…and I will surely look to carry this tradition into 2024 and beyond. As-it-stands, Willer Ditta (now with Club América) is the only FM21 Academy payer to get an international cap. But please, watch this space.

Tactics and Training (Aims 4 and 5)

These two aims are subjective, but this is my blog after all. I say how I feel, and do as I say. For me, I feel as if I delivered on key elements of ‘El Toque’: the Colombian system made famous by Francisco Maturana. During the first 18 months of this save, I played in a 4-2-3-1 system. It had two defensive midfielders and Sherman Cárdenas as the No.10. We had sexy football, notably the fine team goal scored Vs Deportes Tolima on 17 July 2021.

But whether it was the odd match engine patch taking away some of the fun from the outputs of that system, or the fact that maybe we were not as swashbuckling as I thought at the time. We became stale. It birthed FM Misery and I am now like a 1990s Carlo Ancelotti…completely wedded to a 4-4-2 and it’s going to take a Zizou to move me away from it to be honest. I like how we now play, it’s not El Toque…it’s not ‘between the lines’ as the previous 4-2-3-1 had us playing. Instead, we’re more lateral in passing/movement. The Advanced Forward and Pressing Forward are relentless (I mean, my front two have scored 86 goals between them this season) and I have wide players bombing forward really well. It’s simple and effective.

But that does not mean it’s at the expense of technique. In fact, we’re really starting to see some of the fruits of our labour with regards to the technical training programme I have implemented across both the U20 and First Team squads. I wrote about my Team Training here. Trust me, the routines are good and I’m really surprised at how some of my youngsters are flying into the First Team squad and displaying some lovely Colombian magic. I’ve always had dreams of a Homegrown XI, and this might just be the save that does it.

Long Term Ambitions (Aims 6 and 7)

So, it’s pretty clear from reading the above that I am still invested in this save for the long-haul. Aims (6) and (7) are probably a little way off. Yes, I’ve won a Copa Libertadores…but my Colombian brothers haven’t made waves just yet on the continental scene. In 2023, as mentioned previously, the Libertadores was dominated by Brazil and the lesser Sudamericana also had a Brazilian Final. El Dorado may take a bit longer to deliver.

(7) is all about the domestic league titles. Sadly, Atlético Nacional (the team I am trying to chase) has won two league titles so far in the save. Their total is now 18. Our three league titles means we gain on them slightly but we are still six behind them:

  • Atlético Nacional - 18 domestic titles

  • Atlético Junior - 12 domestic titles

It’s a really good stretch goal to have, even though I remain dubious I can play long enough to catch them (I see my wife and children).

Even if all of the above had somehow been achieved by 2023, I think I would have carried on for at least for one more season to see if either Caraballogol or Durán-Durán could break that 50 calendar goal target. 2024, we are ready for you.

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"El Sacrificio" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 
 

The recent seizure of the Orinoco Belt (Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco), the largest petroleum deposit in the World, had allowed Hugo Ojeda to acquire unimaginable wealth. Oil had many uses: from the unrefined exports to the US, to the more refined manufacture of drugs itself. It was a versatile commodity, and it now belonged to Junior Club Head Coach, Don Hugo Ojeda.

To celebrate, he had invited the Guadalajara, Juárez, Sinaloa, Tijuana and Gulf Cartels to the 2023 Copa Libertadores Final in Barranquilla: Junior Club Vs São Paulo. On the eve of the club's biggest match in its 99-year-existence, Ojeda and the heads of the Mexican Cartel gathered in a warehouse that shipped the Orinoco petrol to the United States. Tens of thousands of barrels were moved daily to the land of the Free World, but now the warehouse acted as an auditorium for Latin America's most wanted.

It was here that Hugo Ojeda would make the sacrifice which, in his mind at least, would ensure a Junior Club victory. Placing his golden El Silencio pistol down on a barrel at the warehouse’s entrance, he headed to the central assortment of barrels where a mob associate handed a machete. The blade’s hilt was enamelled in the club colours of Junior: red, white and blue. Hugo Ojeda lifted the machete to the audience with his left hand, as his right reached into a black bag to reveal a Sinaloan milk snake. Hugo pinned his fingers over the red snake’s trachea region, as it wriggled around frantically, but its efforts were powerless to escape the grasp of the Venezuelan drug trafficker turned Football Manager.

"Associates and Friends. Witness my sacrifice. The snake of Sinaloa dies tonight and Junior will win tomorrow!" Hugo screamed to his bewildered audience, who stood close to the petrol barrels in silence. Hugo cut short any potential muttering from the crowd, as the machete was thrust down upon the snake in one swift motion. It's head completely severed from the body in one hit, as Hugo lifted the snake back up to the confused crowd.

At that precise moment, a noise from the high ceiling of the warehouse could be heard. A noise that followed no rhythm, which grew louder and louder. The uneasiness in the room developed further, as the Mexican Cartel reached for their sidearms. Bats. Like in Tijuana a decade or so before it, bats had come to Hugo's aid. They descended around Hugo, as he dropped the snake and fell to the floor. The snake had grown back three heads as it slithered away to hide between two barrels, What kind of sorcery is this? Hugo wondered. The sacrifice had turned into a farcical situation with the most powerful men in Latin America hiding among the barrels of petrol to escape the bats’ flightpath.

This was when the unthinkable happened. A chain of events that defied logic or reason, as El Silencio emptied its chamber onto the barrels of petrol facing it. Shot, after shot, the pistol’s unpredictable aim hit several barrels as the crude oil leaked out and onto the floor. The pistol had become faulty, Hugo mused…as he saw a member of the Gulf Cartel slip and fall into the puddle of oil in order to dodge El Silencio’s shots. As he slipped, the mob boss’ ignited cigar fell into the flammable liquid…sending one section of the warehouse into immediate flames.

By now, several other shots had been fired elsewhere. Whether it was the mob trying to deter the bats or more strange things happening, Hugo couldn’t be sure. The oil was now bursting out onto the floor from several areas, and the fire spread. With each passing moment the flames engulfed more and more of the warehouse, as the Mexican Cartel ran towards the exits. Hugo looked towards one group who hastily tried to force open the emergency exit at the far side of the warehouse. It was bolted and chained…he remembered instructing one of his henchmen to do this a few hours earlier. Now it all made sense to Hugo Ojeda.

He remembered who the sacrifice really was. It was not a single snake, it was an organisation. It was the Mexicans.

Notes from the Editor - Hugo’s sacrifice was originally intended to be a more intimate, and darker affair. Thanks to Chris (@FMEadster) who redirected me to start thinking about using the few items in Hugo’s arsenal: the bats, the pistol and the snake. Whilst we’ve been witness to Hugo’s descent towards darkness for some time, this is perhaps the biggest demonstration of madness & power that we have seen. In one swift move, the days of the Mexican Cartel are over.

In terms of Football Manager, that comes next: a Copa Libertadores Final awaits. Perhaps a defining moment in the save, so let’s see if the sacrifice is good on its word…

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring,

FM Grasshopper

"Nuevo Paraíso" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

Intro

Today’s post is a reflection from the midpoint of Season 3 (2023) with Junior de Barranquilla. FM Misery is an in-game year old, and despite my side overcoming a lot of tactical hurdles in those 12 months, we’re still prone to the odd glitch (especially in Finals…more on this later). But I do think we’re over the worst of our problems, and we’ve encountered a newfound confidence in the Copa Libertadores (South America’s highest continental club competition) with goals/entertainment no longer in short supply.

Welcome to a new paradise (kind of), I hope you enjoy your stay…

Season 2023: Apertura

Ins and Outs

My previous post was Uruguayan heavy, and I suppose that’s where we should pick up. As mentioned previously, in came Ignacio Laquintana on a Free Transfer who would go on to light up the Apertura campaign from a mixture of Right Back and Right Midfield. However we said adiós to two of the Uruguayan heroes of this save so far: Striker Matías Arezo (€2.5m to New York FC) & Central Midfielder Manuel Ugarte (€2m to Jiangsu Suning FC). Both had their release clauses activated and I graciously accepted the modest payment, which helped take the Overall Balance of the club to €16.5m (a save high to date).

Not motivated to spend it needlessly (especially given that I was pretty well stocked in these positions), I instead went for two 12-month loan deals to eat up the wage bill: Inverted Left Winger Jorge Carrascal (from River Plate) and centre back Lautaro Giannetti (Vélez Sarsfield). Both occupy First XI squad numbers, which should immediately tell you how much I rate them. If they live up to the hype, the good news is that we have agreed deals lined up for a combined €6m. 2023 squad numbers:

Atlético Junior 2023.

It has been a while since I made a squad number graphic (the last occasion was two in-game seasons ago in 2021), but I figured it’s now merited seeing as I have moved from a 4-2-3-1 DM to a Misery 4-4-2 during this time (more on that here). The creator of the side is the more withdrawn playmaker at No.5 (Deep Lying Playmaker) and my No.10 is currently a Pressing Forward (an experienced workhorse in Santiago Tréllez). However, as time goes on, I do envisage my No.10 becoming more Technically proficient (more No.10-like I guess); and I will probably look at a Deep Lying Forward or Trequartista to get on the ball and create some magic that way. The other coveted shirt number (No.9), goes to Jhon Durán who inherits it from departing ‘Arezogol’. Despite this, the carefully constructed No.9 succession plan I had in mind has been changed by the recent events, which is a nice segue into how the 2023 Opening Stage unfolded…

Categoría Primera A - Apertura

Opening up with a Super Cup win, we then went on to smash the traditional league, bettering last year’s opening performance (that time where I scrapped 6th on the final day) by 15 points. There is not much point sharing how the table looked, because Colombia is all about the Semi Final groups (and Final) which decide the league winner. But I do want to pay particular attention to a crazy Saturday afternoon in Cali on the 18th March, where we witnessed TWELVE goals. Not only did new boys Laquintana & Carrascal score, but we witnessed a 5 minute hat-trick from Barranquilla local boy Ricardo Caraballo. Both sides were armed to the death with xG (both in excess of 3.0), and it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. For a split second I thought I was levitating in some kind of trance-like state of altered consciousness. I took a moment post-match to catch my breath before I left clicked on Continue once more.

We then drew our next match 0-0 away at Millonarios 🙃

Apertura results.

We got back into the goals during the Semi Final Group Stage. But perhaps there was an underlying problem with 40-year-old Sebastián Viera conceding some awful goals? It’s not nice to pin it on one guy, but I have suspected last time out that the Goalkeeper was a problem area for us now. Something I have improved before the Closing Stage, with the €2.5m acquisition of Argentine (and ex-Valencia youth player) Joaquín Blázquez. Nevertheless, Sebastián Viera would go into the finals Vs Independiente Medellín as captain, club record appearance holder and legend for the last time.

Smashed it.

What went wrong? Well, I guess you don’t usually win titles conceding the first leg 2 nil. We missed sitters, truly awful sitters…and then allowed Leonardo Castro two replica headers at our goal. Each time I felt we switched off and allowed Medellín’s 15 league goal hitman that extra yard to pick his spot. It doesn’t matter if that he is only 175cm (and with Jumping Reach 9), give a player space and you can get stung like that.

Disgusting.

In the 2nd leg we’d target that player (a bit like how FM Tahiti does it), and it worked really well. Castro blanked by playing a 6.8…but then I forgot about the power of Player X Scoring Against His Former Club, as I saw ex-Junior player Christian Higuita score a long ranger against me. We came back, helped by Caraballo once again and a MOTM performance from Sherman Cárdenas who reminded me how glorious he can be with 5 clear cut chances created (if we can believe it). 4-4 on aggregate at Full Time, and with no away goals ruling in Colombia, it meant one thing: penalties.

I was therefore delighted that we had trained them the day before…

Fucked it.

2023 Copa Libertadores

Who cares about a domestic title when you’ve won it all before anyway? It’s all about the Copa Libertadores, and we’ve done really well in the Group Stage this year by topping Group B and booking a Last 16 tie against Ted Redwood Gaming’s Sporting Cristal. Winning up in the clouds at Club Bolívar gives me real hope we can do the same in Peru, and I’m dreaming of a great run in this competition.

I beat the Brazilian INTER and feel powerful.

Caraballogol

In addition to being a bit pedantic with squad numbering…I absolutely love giving a player a nickname [in my head at least]. It’s always reserved for the Special Golden Boys like FM17’s Colidigol, FM18’s Golmero or FM19’s The Fons, perhaps FM21 is going to be about one man, and one man only: Ricardo Caraballo AKA Caraballogol. 31 goals in 25 starts (all comps) from a mixture of Advanced/Pressing Forward, he’s outscored all of the Strikers that have come before him: Miguel Borja, Matías Arezo…and even pushed recent injury plagued Jhon Durán to the bench. There is no doubt that when I come to do my squad graphic next time round, Caraballogol will be occupying that No.9 shirt.

Although the affiliate link (which I dedicated a blog post to) has been cruelly ended due to Barranquilla FC’s recent promotion to the top flight. I can at least be thankful for one last gift before it was severed, with Ricardo moving to Junior Club for free. Despite not being blown away with sheer individual brilliance that we’ve seen in predecessors like Borja or Arezo…there is a ruthlessness about Caraballo that I just love to watch. All kinds of goals, right foot/left foot/headers/deflections…you name it, he’ll score it.

Caraballogol Vs INTER 15.03.2023

Ricardo Caraballo has already beaten Arezo’s save high of 27 goals in a calendar year. With 31 goals already clocked, I wonder how far he can go in the 2nd part of 2023 (estimated at another 25-30 games). With that in mind, who wants a poll? No? Don’t care, here it is…

There’s a few places to find out if Ricardo Caraballo scores more than 50 goals in a calendar year. One place is here on the blog (when the time is right), but the other places are FM Twitter and also over on FM Slack. I can’t promise them as your next “Nuevo Paraíso”, but they certainly bring me a lot of fun.

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring,

FM Grasshopper

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

 
URU and COL.jpg
 

Intro

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

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


The Ghost Final(s)

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

The Ghost Finals.

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

Season 2022: Clausura

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

Clausura results.

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

Great start, awful finish.

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

2022 Closing Final(s).

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

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

Copa Colombia

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

La Celeste

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Celestial City

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

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

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

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

 
 

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"Junior Club" - La Plata: Colombia #FM21

 
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez.jpg
 

Intro

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

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

Junior Club: Welcome

 
 

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

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

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

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

Junior Club: Meet the Young Guns

(1) High-profile External Signing

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

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

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

(2) Homegrown Academy player

Juan Aragón.

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

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

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

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

Juan Aragón Training.

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

(3) An Affiliate Player (from Barranquilla FC)

Pabue Casiani.

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

 

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

 

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

Pabue Casiani Training.

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

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

Junior Club: U20 Training Programme

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

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

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

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

U20 Training Programme.

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

Custom Schedules.

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

Week 1 - U20s Physical - 1 Match

  • Emphasis on Physical development with five fitness based sessions.

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

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

Week 2 - U20s Technical - 1 Match

  • Emphasis on Technical development with seven technical based sessions.

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

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

Week 3 - Attacking - 1 Match U20s

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

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

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

Week 4 - Defending and Goalkeeping - 1 Match U20s

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

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

  • Outfield and Possession team training to keep squad together.

Junior Club: Mentoring

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

Young First Teamers.

Mentoring Groups.

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

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

Season 2022: Apertura

The Ghost Final

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

Semi Final Group A results.

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

The Unlikely Hero

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

Carlos Cantillgol?

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

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

As always, thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper