The third season of my FM22 save with Warta Poznan offered me a lot of matches thanks to our surprising European journey. We were also able to fight about the league title until the last round despite the squad lacking the same quality as our opponents. And the 2023/2024 season also showed my biggest FM weakness. If you are interested in reading how the season went, feel free to continue…

THE SUMMER, part 1

We were in a great position before the 2023/2024 season in terms of the expectations from the save (by me) and of the expectations by the club board within the game. Mainly thanks to the final second place in the league table in the previous campaign. The second place gave us an opportunity to try our luck in the demanding qualifying phase of the Europa Conference League - the third European competition in the UEFA hierarchy.

I said demanding the qualifying phase mainly because we started our European journey in the second qualifying round. And we were an unseeded team of course. The draw decided that our first opponent was Spartak Moscow. The big club in comparison with us. If nothing more, one of their player has the same monthly wage as we have the wage budget in total.

• If you are not following Polish football in real life, maybe you are surprised by the fact we started in the 2nd qualifying round despite we finished 2nd in the league.

• But the coefficient is a big issue for all the Polish clubs. Legia made it to the Europa League group stage in the 2021/2022 real-life season and it was their first group stage appearance since the 2016/2017 season (maybe you will remember the match against BVB with a 4-8 result in Dortmund). But they were also able to lose to Dudelange in the Europa League 3rd qualifying round or to lost with Omonia and Qarabag within one summer of 2020.

• In the combination with other clubs struggling to gain some important points to the national/club coefficient, it’s a big problem. Especially also when you, for example, are not able to have the best possible squad available straight from the opening qualifying round.

• I didn’t have some specific aims for this save before it started. But I decided that I will try to improve the coefficient as much as possible to give a better starting position not only to myself but also to other clubs.

• Before the 2023/2024 season in my save: One place in the Champions League 1st qualifying round and three places (also depending on the domestic cup winner) in the Europa Conference League in the 2nd qualifying round. That’s awful for such a great football nation as Poland is.

• And 28th place in the national club coefficients ranking.

TRANSFERS, part 1

I will be 100% clear - I wasn’t well prepared for the third season when I look back. I build the squad for two domestic competitions. I knew I want to improve the CM(A) position/role and I found one of the best possible players. I used mainly my CM(A) filter/method with some adjustments before I signed him. And the best thing was that I signed Michal Nalepa for free from Jagiellonia Bialystok. That meant I didn’t have a problem giving him €7.75k per month to make him one of the best-paid players of the club (before the contract renewals during the season took place).

Another aim was to strengthen the WBL position. I signed Marcel Blachewicz from relegated Wisla Plock for €350k to give some squad competition to our main player for this position. But it ended with a fiasco. Every time he played, he made some big mistake, his training morale was so tragic that I would give him a punch if it would be real life. It resulted in the fact that I rather let play 17 years old not good enough newgen and I sent Blachewicz to our affiliate club SK Lisen in winter.

Another prepared signing was the transfer of the young Belarusian midfielder Sergey Lyakh. I signed him for just €200k from Ruch Brest without some transfer release clause in his contract and he signed until 2027 which is promising. He is in the Belarusian U21s national team already. His 5 goals and 5 assists in 19(7) appearances during his first season with us just in the league is a promising statistic.

THIS was one of his goals and I really liked it.

THE SUMMER, part 2

As I mentioned at the beginning, our first opponent in the Europa Conference League was Sparta Moscow. When I said “first”, yes, it means we beat them. The newly signed Michael Nalepa scored two goals in the home leg in his competitive debut as our new CM(A) and we beat them at 2:0 in the second leg too.

That was the moment when setting up the several line-ups took the place. The Starting XI was based on all key/important players. The Backup XI was a group of youngsters together with some experienced players. The Mixed XI was a mix of both together. At least one key player in every line together with the best youngsters. As you probably guess, the first XI played mainly the qualifying matches, the backup XI played in the domestic league. The mixed XI was used more during the later stage of the season.

We got Bodo/Glimt in the third round and we won 5:2 on aggregate and made it to the last qualifying phase. Sadly, we faced another Russian team. Krasnodar this time.

We played the first leg away from home for the first time but both matches were intense and crazy. We were 2:0 up in Krasnodar in the 72nd minute but the home side levelled the score within ten minutes before we scored the winning goal in 90+6 from the last set piece of the game.

Home tie. Our captain and the main halfback Michal Kopczynski was sent off in the 14th minute. Krasnodar was 2:0 up after the first half and one goal ahead on aggregate. Szymon Czyz made it 1:2 five minutes after a break, three minutes later it was 3:1 for Krasnodar. But we scored our second in the 74th minute and the match went to the extra-time as it was 5:5 on aggregate.

We also lost Filip Dymerski who was sent off after the second yellow in the 90th minute. With diminishing energy and two men down, we played with four defenders, a flat midfield trio and Chelmecki as a lone striker. We conceded in the 105+2 and Krasnodar was one goal ahead again. But Sergey Lyakh, our young Belarusian uncut diamond scored two minutes prior to the final whistle after a counter-attack. And the match went to penalties.

Jesper Grobelny, our keeper, saved two penalties (Claesson and Wanderson) and we scored all four. It was very a very satisfying win - 6:6 on aggregate and a 4:3 after penalties.

TRANSFERS, part 2

The same as our progress to the Europa Conference League was surprising for others, it was surprising for me. And I realised I am very surprised by this achievement almost immediately after the home second leg with Krasnodar when I did the ordinary press conference and I went to the squad screen to give key players some rest days. It was the moment when I realised I need some fresh legs to be competitive in all three competitions. Some panic buys? Maybe.

I had around 48 hours to make the whole signing process. I decided to sign two players from my shortlist who I know about they are free agents. The Czech striker Tomas Cvancara is a panic signing 100% because he is not good enough in comparison with our own players but it was also some kind of nostalgic signing as I know Tomas from his childhood and his first football steps. And in combination with his real-life transfer from Jablonec to Sparta Prague. The worst thing about him in the game is that he has “Comes Deep To Get Ball” somehow developed. It’s not too good in combination that he should play as Poacher or Advanced Forward. I tried to unlearn him this trait but it was unsuccessful so far.

The second free signing was Kamil Dankowski. The wing-back who is able to play on both sides of the pitch - versatile, that can be useful. I signed him just for one year. He didn’t last that long. He played four matches and he was injured in all of them. Our partnership ended in winter when I released him.

Finally, the third signing within the deadline day - Rafal Wolski from Cracovia for €700k. He was one of the best-rated players in the Ekstraklasa at the end of the previous but also at the beginning of the current season after its first month. I knew he will be able to play as a midfielder but also as a striker. I liked the options he offered and signed him with a clear mind because I already earned a lot of money thanks to the Europa Conference League.

He made 36(5) appearances, scored 13 goals and made 11 assists. I would say that this transfer was worth it. His contract is up to 2026 and I’m sure I have still a great player in him despite him being 31 years old.

THE REST OF THE SEASON

Ekstraklasa:

• We were around the second and third places during this campaign. It was very tight until the end as Legia won the league for the third time in a row in this save with 72 points just one point ahead of Lechia Gdansk and Warta. Legia was changing the first and second place in the late stage of the season every round but Legia won it in the end. We were top of the league for 6 minutes in the last decisive round before Legia scored four goals at home against Radomiak who was relegated thanks to this defeat. It means we earned the Europa Conference League spot again.

Totolek Puchar Polski:

• We made it to the Semifinal this season. We needed penalties or at least the extra time in all first, second and third rounds as we beat Pogon Szczecin, Gornik Zabrze and Olimpia Elblag. The Quarterfinal 3:1 win over Legia at home thanks to a hattrick by Sebastian Musiolik was really sweet. But our biggest rival and also the cup winner, in the end, Lech Poznan, beat us in the Semifinal after penalties as the match ended 3:3 after an extra time. I would really like to win the domestic cup at least once during this save…

UEFA Europa Conference League:

• We went to the Group F during the draw with FC Viktoria Plzen, Apollon Limassol and Sutjeska Niksic. I was sure we will make it through this group after beating teams like Spartak Moscow, Bodo and Krasnodar in the qualifying rounds. We lost only once in the group, it was with the Czech side away from home. But we won the other five matches and won the group F with 15 points, 16 goals scored and only 4 conceded.

• We went straight to the 2nd knockout round thanks to winning the group and we got AC Sparta Prague. What a coincidence! But we beat them 4:3 on aggregate and went to the Quarterfinal against Wolverhampton. After an incredible home 3:0 win, we parked the bus at the Molineux stadium and drew 0:0. Semifinal here we go. We met Stade Rennais FC, our senior affiliate club here. We lost 1:3 away from home in the 1st leg but we beat them 2:1 at home and we said goodbye to Europe this season with our heads held high.

• It was symbolic somehow. Michal Nalepa scored two goals against Spartak Moscow in the first match in this competition back in July 2023 and he scored two last goals in the Semifinal in May 2024. A great journey.

CONCLUSION OF THE 2023/2024 SEASON

The European journey gave us a couple of things. Firstly, we earned €10,239,779 via prize money. I know it’s not even the same as when you reach the Champions League group stage but as we like to say in our country it never rains, but it pours. This sum of money is incredible for our club and I was already able to convince the club board to upgrade the youth facilities from adequate to good. Even if it was after giving them an ultimatum.

Secondly, it also showed me (again) one of my biggest weaknesses within playing the Football Manager - buying and strengthening the squad instead of playing with my own players or youngsters only.

Is there any lesson? Yes, there is. I will have almost all new players in the club-ready before the pre-season or during the first week of the pre-season.

As I said, the European journey gave us a lot of money. We have almost 10x more than at the beginning of this season. The club board was generous and they gave us a €512,993 p/m wage budget and a €7,9M transfer budget. I will use some money for transfers but the wage budget will be under the limit a lot as always.

This third season was also the last while using the so-called 2-3-3-2 formation with two central defenders and a “false” central defender in terms of using the Half Back. It’s not because I would not like it anymore but I’m not able to find the good enough replacement or cover for the Half Back role and I want to try a different role in the DM slot while using the two or three central defenders.

The Polish coefficient received a very much needed boost this season as we reached the Semifinal and Legia won their group and made it to the 2nd Knockout Round.

Thanks for reading, take care.

💙💛✊🏻