football manager 2021

Dubbed the Next: Episode 11 - Javier Mascherano

Once you’ve picked a legend from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Ireland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands - the options become slightly more limited as we look to complete our XI of footballing legends and their modern day FM counterparts. Knowing we need a more defensive player to complete our squad, it was hard to settle on a player and country worthy of replication as part of this series; that is until one man popped up who in addition to being the most-capped player of all time for his country, was simultaneously one of the most influential Defenders and Defensive Midfielders in European and World football - as well as playing for West Ham…

The rules are simple - any modern-day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Having won 2 Champions Leagues, 5 La Liga titles and been capped 147 times for Argentina including reaching the World Cup final in 2014 - who would covet the unenviable task of being dubbed the next Javier Mascherano in Football Manager 2021?

 
 

by MaddFM.

When Javier Mascherano arrived at West Ham as part of a somewhat controversial or shady deal which saw he and Carlos Tevez move to The Hammers amid rumours of third party involvement in terms of ownership of their registration as well as alleged interest in buying out West Ham. After an unsuccessful spell at the then Upton Park, Mascherano completed a £20m move to Liverpool and it was from here that his career began to flourish on the international stage - two seasons later he was a first team regular at Barcelona winning the League and Champions League double, and he became a key part of the Pep Guardiola reign at the Catalan giants initially playing as a Defensive Midfielder before moving back to partner Gerard Pique at Centre Half.

What made Javier Mascherano such an influential player was his unrivalled positional play and sheer ferociousness and excellence in the tackle. Tenacious, fierce, aggressive - Mascherano had that unique ability to cover large areas of ground, read the game perfectly and always put himself in the right place at the right time which was one of the catalysts in Barcelona’s period of dominance between 2011 and 2018. In Football Manager terms, Mascherano typified the Anchor Man role before reverting to Centre Back and based on this we will try to emulate Mascherano’s combined defensive and positional ability by winding back the clock to 2015 in order to see his key attributes and guide us towards finding his modern day counterpart.

Rewind ⏪

 
 

You’ve just lost a World Cup Final, but can take solace in the fact that you are about to win your third La Liga title in a double-winning season for Barcelona. Quite simply, FM15 Javier Mascherano was Defensive royalty. Aggression, Tackling, Determination, Positioning, Bravery, Work Rate, Stamina, Marking - too many to even mention, however these are what will form the basis of our search as we load up FM21 to try and replicate Mascherano’s key attributes and playing style to identify his modern day replica.

🔍 Tackling

🔍 Aggression

🔍 Anticipation

🔍 Bravery

🔍 Work Rate

🔍 Marking

🔍 Argentinian

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You might be asking yourself - who? At the beginning of FM21 Nehuén Perez is a 20-year-old Central Defender on loan at high-flying Granada from Atletico Madrid, and although not yet capped for Argentina has been included in multiple friendly squads and is very much knocking on the door of the international fold as well as starting to show enough quality to be in with a shout of first team football at his home club next season. Other candidates included the likes of Marcos Senesi, Santiago Ascacibar, Ezequel Palacious and Cristian Romero however when we look at raw defensive ability and potential it’s Perez that is the most exciting option to fill Mascherano’s shoes for both club and country. With Stefan Savic reaching the latter years of his prime, Perez has the opportunity to stake a claim for a full-time position at the heart of Diego Simeone’s defence and when looking at his attributes in FM21 one can clearly see the likeness with Mascherano particularly looking at his Mental attributes as well as is Physical and Defensive ability - with a bit of retraining he would be a quality option in Defence or Defensive Midfield, and for this reason he receives the #WeStreamFM seal of approval as the next Javier Mascherano in FM21. Watch this space!

Thanks for reading especially those who have been following and enjoying this segment all along, that’s our series complete for now however next week we will do a full recap on our Legends XI and how they compare to their “Dubbed the Next” cohort of modern-day replicas.

Cheers,

MaddFM.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 10 - Dennis Bergkamp

We are almost there. 9 legends from 9 different countries analysed in the peak of their prime and subsequently recreated in Football Manager 2021 to find their modern day counterparts. Pirlo, Raul, Kaka, Keane, Barthez, Kompany, Beckham, Figo and Matthaus - all legends of their position, club and country and we are well on the way to replicating a Legends XI as we embark on yet another journey today.


The rules are simple - any modern-day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. This time we head to the Netherlands for another football icon. Known for his outstanding touch and for scoring arguably not one but two of the best technical goals ever witnessed (one for Arsenal against Newcastle and the other for Netherlands against Argentina) - Dennis Bergkamp simply oozed class and was a vital member of Arsenal’s “Invincibles” of the 2003-2004 season, even if not everyone agrees on the quality and level of the goals he scored 😄.

 
 

The main question is - what was it about Bergkamp that made him such a unique entity which leads many football commentators and former players alike to name him as one of the most talented footballers ever to grace the Premier League? And of course secondly - can we find a modern day player with the same grace, talent and technical excellence with the ability and potential to replicate his success? There’s only one way to find out.


 
 

“We just stood there looking at each other, amazed. He’s probably the only player who could have pulled it off.” Shay Given after conceding the goal voted the best ever scored in the Premier League.

For a player who was named after Denis Law by his father, it’s little wonder Bergkamp turned out to be one of the best strikers of his generation. After scoring 103 goals in 185 appearances for Ajax, Bergkamp made the move to Inter in Serie A citing the club culture, philosophy and playing style as his reasons for joining. Unfortunately back-to-back manager changes and a poor spell for Inter meant that Bergkamp struggled to find form and was ridiculed by the media for not living up to his (at the time) high transfer fee of £7 million. As the saying goes, one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure and it was Arsenal who saw through the malaise to sign one of the bargains of the century, paying £2.5m for a player who would go on to play over 400 games, score 110 goals, bag 89 assists and spend 11 seasons at the club before retiring an Arsenal and Premier League legend.

Ian Wright. Patrick Kluivert. Nicholas Anelka. Thierry Henry. All former strike partners of Bergkamp who are quoted as naming him as one of the best they ever played with and the best striking partner they played alongside. It was John Hartson however who perhaps summed up Bergkamp’s ability in the best possible fashion:

“If Dennis Bergkamp played in the snow, he wouldn’t leave any footprints”

To dive deeper into what made Bergkamp such a special player and the true definition of a top “footballer” - we take a trip down memory lane to Championship Manager 97/98 and look at prime 28 year-old Bergkamp who at the time was completely unaware that he was about to win the league with Arsenal before going on to reach a World Cup Semi-Final.

Rewind ⏪

 
 

Creativity. Technique. Flair. Off the Ball. Passing. Technique. Baller. The CM97/98 researchers were spot on in recognising Bergkamp’s talents and very few players come close to that level of technical ability and pure class as a footballer. Will FM21 help us to try and emulate “The Iceman” so that we can stamp the #WeStreamFM stamp of approval on the next Dennis Bergkamp?

🔍 Technique

🔍 Off the Ball

🔍 Passing

🔍 Flair

🔍 First Touch

🔍 Vision

🔍 Dutch

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Although he might be more mobile and technically a wide player rather than a ready-made Striker, Mohamed Ihattaren has all the attributes required to emulate Bergkamp’s ability and in particular his technical prowess and excellence. While not blessed with as good finishing and natural ability to play up front, some decent retraining and focusing on his positional development and player traits would make him a top quality Striker in FM21. Some of the more obvious candidates were the likes of Myron Boadu and Donyell Malen, while others such as Noa Lang and Joshua Zirkzee also gave us a difficult decision to make. In the end, Ihattaren was the stand-out candidate and as such is the one we are tipping to replicate Dennis Bergkamp’s ability and success for club and country in the very near future.

Thanks for reading, one more to go next week - let us know if you can guess the last country and/or football legend!

MaddFM.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

English Abroad

With a growing number of English players plying their trade overseas in recent times along with an increase in players going abroad on loan to gain first team experience in some of Europe’s other top leagues, there has been much commentary in footballing circles about the concept of English players playing abroad and how this impacts both their development and their chances of getting into the various England sides at youth and senior level. At the time of writing this has become prevalent on the international scene spurring a lot of debate as to whether the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham will make Gareth Southgate’s final 23 man squad for the European Championships, with many pundits of the opinion that the England manager will lean towards domestic based talent rather than those based in mainland Europe and beyond.

Bearing this in mind, today we will take a look at some of the top English talent that currently play their football outside of the UK & Ireland, particularly looking at those based permanently abroad rather than those on loan from the Premier League, and in turn putting together a best XI of English players currently playing abroad. Gareth Southgate if you are reading this - take note!! 👇👇

 
English Abroad.jpg
 

by @MaddFM_

Kevin Keegan. Trevor Francis. Glenn Hoddle. Ray Wilkins. Gary Lineker. Chris Waddle. David Platt. Gazza. Paul Ince. Steve McManaman. David Beckham. Michael Owen. Jonathan Woodgate. Owen Hargreaves. What do all these footballing legends have in common? They all had mixed spells of success at clubs overseas and it is these household names that have paved the way for today’s generation of English players that have been recently or currently playing across some of the biggest leagues in Europe outside of the Premier League. Going back to when Herbert Kilpin became the first professional English footballer to play overseas when he turned out for FC Torinense in Italy (before more notably becoming one of the founding fathers of AC Milan Football Club), we have seen a slow but steady increase in the number of big name footballers making the move abroad - from the days when Francis (Sampdoria), Wilkins (AC Milan), Platt (Bari/Sampdoria/Juventus) and Ince (Inter) were tearing it up in Serie A through to more recent times when Real Madrid started their own English legion signing the likes of McManaman, Beckham, Owen and Woodgate to join their Galacticos. More recently however it has been the Bundesliga where English players seem to have enjoyed most success, where we saw Owen Hargreaves’ performances for Bayern earn him a place in England’s World Cup squad in 2002 and 2006; several successful players on loan in Germany such as Ademola Lookman, Reiss Nelson and Reece Burke and of course now where we have seen the aforementioned Sancho and Bellingham lighting up the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

This of course bodes the question - should more English players follow suit and pursue a career outside of the Premier League? In doing so, do they run the risk of being overlooked when it comes to their international chances? There’s only one way to find out as we take a look at some of the best English players currently based overseas at present, looking at how their careers are progressing abroad and most importantly - how good they are in Football Manager.

English Abroad - Best XI


Goalkeeper - Jonathan Bond (LA Galaxy)

Keeper is a tricky one. Barring Joe Hart’s brief loan spell at Torino a few years back, very few English goalkeepers have ventured overseas in the past 30 years and currently the best #1 based abroad is former Watford and West Brom shot-stopper Jonathan Bond, who has just recently made a move to the MLS with LA Galaxy and looks set to compete with Jonathan Klinsmann (son of Jurgen) for the #1 jersey in Los Angeles. Having played for Wales at U17 and U19 level before then turning out for England U20 and U21s, Bond has largely been a backup keeper throughout his development and at 27 now needs to nail down a first-choice spot in order to reignite his career. Fingers crossed MLS is the place to do it 🤞.

 
 

Backup: Etienne Green (AS Saint-Étienne) - a man who was named after the club he now plays for, what more could you ask for #narrative.

Defender (Right) - Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)

Unquestionable. Currently challenging for a La Liga title with Atletico Madrid, Kieran Trippier oozes class and despite the recent surge of English right-back options, Trippier has every chance of not only making Southgate’s final 23 but could also be in contention for a first team place depending on how and where Kyle Walker is deployed in this England side. Having come through the ranks at Man City before shining at both Burnley and Tottenham, Trippier is still on the right side of 30 and waltzes into our first XI.

 
 


Backup: Easah Suliman (Vitória Guimarães) - one of two Englishmen in the Vitória ranks, the former Aston Villa man is a decent lower league RB option as backup for Trippier.

Defender (Left) - Ashley Young (Inter Milan)


Is he 35? Yes. Is he still kicking it in Italy and about to win a Serie A title after playing over 20 games with Inter Milan this season? Yes. Ashley Young is in.

 
 

Backup: Chima Okoroji (SC Freiburg) - father from Nigeria, Mother from Liverpool, born in Munich and his middle name is Sean - you love to see it.

Defender (Centre) - Chris Smalling (AS Roma)

Once dubbed to be the next Rio Ferdinand after his £7m move from Fulham to Manchester United, Chris Smalling had a hard time in England but is highly regarded in Italy since he made his loan move to Roma permanent in 2020 and is one of the first names on Paulo Fonseca’s team sheet. Although he has 31 England caps to date, his time in an England jersey may be at an end however as English players abroad goes he brings a wealth of quality and experience to the back line.

 
 


Backup: Reece Oxford (FC Augsburg) - arguably one of English football’s forgotten men since permanently moving to Germany following multiple loan spells, Oxford was tipped for greatness as a youngster in the West Ham academy and quickly rose up through the ranks as well as being capped for England at all underage levels. Still only 21, time is more than on his side and his FM attributes make him a decent value option for most mid-table sides.


Defender (Centre) - Jonathan Panzo (Dijon FCO)

London-born Jonathan Panzo was one of the first of England’s current crop of youngsters to make an early move abroad when he left the Chelsea youth side to join Monaco. Having been capped for England at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U21 level, his recent move to Dijon in search of first team football might make a Senior cap slightly out of reach however should he impress in Ligue 1 then hopefully a move to a bigger club will materialise accordingly. In FM terms he is a solid CB option for most clubs and at 20 years old still has his best years ahead of him, for now he will more than suffice in accompanying Chris Smalling at Centre Half.

 
 

Backup: Ryan Shawcross (Inter Miami) - an ex-Man Utd trainee being managed by an ex-Man Utd trainee for a club owned by an ex-Man Utd trainee - pure poetry.


Midfielder (Centre) - Ronaldo Vieira (Sampdoria)

Surely the greatest name in football. Ronaldo Vieira started his career at Benfica as a teenager before successfully joining the ranks at Leeds following unsuccessful trials at Man City. He quickly became a first-team regular under Garry Monk before Sampdoria paid a reported £6.5m for his signature as a replacement for Arsenal-bound Lucas Torreira. Despite establishing himself in the first team, he has since joined Verona on loan helping them to break into the Top 10 in Serie A where at the time of writing they sit 5 points clear of his parent club. If you are looking for a cut-price DMC in FM21, Ronaldo Vieira should be in your shortlist.

 
 


Backup: Clinton Mola (VFB Stuttgart) - another Cheslea fledgling to leave the nest, Mola is currently on the books at Stuttgart where he has already made 8 first team appearances since moving to Germany in Janary 2020. His potential in FM and IRL are clear to see and he is one to keep an eye on as his career progresses in Germany.

Midfielder (Centre) - Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)

Safe to say the GOAT of English players playing abroad at present. There is not much we can say about Jude Bellingham here that hasn’t already been said - there is a reason Dortmund made him the most expensive 17-year-old player in history when they paid £25m to sign him from Birmingham and after recently becoming the youngest ever Englishman to score in the Bundesliga as well as making his full England debut, he will give Gareth Southgate some difficult decisions to make should he continue his good form for both club and country.

 
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Backup: Angel Gomes (Lille OSC) - not many English players abroad could keep ex-Man Utd wonderkid Angel Gomes out of our side, the lad has bags of potential in FM and is currently on loan at Boavista since signing permanently for Lille in 2020.

Attacking Midfielder (Right) - Marcus Edwards (Vitória Guimarães)

Our second Vitória Guimarães player is Marcus Edwards and he is a player and a half. Having come through the ranks at Tottenham he also made the brave decision to move overseas from a young age but so far it looks to have been a solid decision as he continues to shine in Portugal’s Liga Nos. 7 goals and 9 assists last season have put him on many clubs’ radar and his skill and ability were famously summed up by Mauricio Pochettino when he likened him to a young Lionel Messi during his Spurs days. In FM he is fast, creative, skillful and he can score and create goals - expect him not to last at Vitória for much longer.

 
 


Backup: Mohamed Ali-Cho (Angers SCO) - am I biased because the French born winger who was raised in London has been a vital part of my own FM21 save at Angers? You better believe it - this kid has bags of potential and will hopefully be seen lighting up Ligue 1 in the very near future.

Attacking Midfielder (Left) - Noni Madueke (PSV)

If Edwards gives us quality on the right then we are spoiled for choice looking at another former Tottenham graduate that made a move overseas at a young age. Since moving to PSV, Noni Madueke has gone from strength to strength in the Eredivisie and his 7 goals & 6 assists in 21 games have put him very much in the spotlight across European football as well as propelling him into the England U21 Euro squad. Still only 18 at the start of FM21, he is a quality pickup for most top sides across Europe and definitely has the tools to go far in football.

 
 


Backup: Demarai Gray (Bayer Leverkusen) - like Gomes, it’s almost hard to believe that Demarai Gray isn’t getting into our English Abroad XI especially considering he has a Premier League winner’s medal. Perhaps timing isn’t on his side having only recently moved to Bayer Leverkusen with only a handful of games under his belt this season, but nevertheless he is another example of a quality player flying the flag overseas and hopefully he can go on to bigger and better things in the Bundesliga.

Deep Lying Forward (Centre) - Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)

Sancho as a Striker anyone? I like the idea of the former Man City graduate playing just behind the main Striker, finding pockets of space, running the channels and overall causing havoc for the opposition defence. In FM he has all the attributes needed to make this happen - as mentioned above there are many who think Sancho will be overlooked for England’s Euro 2020 squad based on Dortmund’s poor form and the fact that Sancho plays overseas. Surely it would be a travesty to leave a player of his quality watching from his own sofa this summer?

 
 

Backup: Brandon Thomas (Osasuna) - born in Majorca to a Spanish mother and English father, Brandon burst on the scene with Osasuna when he terrorised Barcelona in a 2-2 draw following his move from Rennes in 2019. His opportunities have been limited since, largely due to a nasty injury however a loan move to Leganes will hopefully help him to find some form before returning to Osasuna in the summer.

Striker (Centre) - Stephy Mavididi (Montpellier HSC)

A former Arsenal and Juventus striker who has been understudy to the likes of Giroud and Ronaldo - need I say more? Stephy Mavididi bit the bullet a few years ago leaving London for Turin and although things didn’t really work out at Juventus where he earned one solitary first team appearance under Max Allegri, Mavididi has reignited his career at Montpellier in Ligue 1 this season scoring 9 goals in 20 appearances and very much looks to be back on track towards becoming a top quality goalscorer in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe. His FM profile is slightly harsh in terms of technical attributes but as a main focal point or target man, he can definitely do a job for us looking at the quality and creativity of the players around him.

 
Mavididi.png
 

Backup: Danny Loader (FC Porto) - Reading to Porto is probably a road less travelled in footballing terms but that’s exactly what Danny Namaso Loader did when he decided to leave the Royals for the Portuguese champions in 2020. Having won the U17 World Cup for England alongside Phil Foden and the aforementioned Sancho, we want to see the lad do well as he awaits his first team debut for FCP, and you’ll do well to keep an eye on him in your FM21 save as well to see if he is available and/or how his progress develops.

 
 

English Abroad XI - not bad at all..

That as they say is that! Not a bad side with some definite quality, particularly our wider players as well as Bellingham and Sancho who are the current poster boys of English footballers abroad. Although history would suggest that the majority of English players overseas haven’t overly succeeded and eventually return to England in order to either rejuvenate their careers or break into the England squad, the modern game means that more and more players are taking and seizing their chances across the other European leagues, and from a Football Manager perspective it is always an intriguing topic to see how these players perform outside of the UK. Of course this isn’t limited to English players only - Ryan Gauld (Farense), Aaron Hickey (Bologna), Rabbi Matondo (Schalke 04), Fraser Hornby (Reims) and of course Aaron Ramsey (Juventus) and Gareth Bale (R. Madrid) are all among some of the more well known Scottish/Welsh players who are also currently shining among Europe’s top leagues, and hopefully this will only increase further to positively influence these players’ ability and contribution to their international sides. The biggest of shout-outs also goes to 34 year old Adam Le Fondre who is currently plying his trade down under at Sydney FC and enjoying a loan spell in India at Mumbai City - the lad loves a bit of FM and clearly has good taste 🔥🔥.

 
 

Thanks for reading, let us know what you think on Twitter or in the comments below!

MaddFM.

Be sure to follow WeStreamFM on Twitter for reaction to the latest FM21 updates - you can also get involved in the hype by joining the WeStreamFM Discord where you can find hundreds of like minded FM enthusiasts as well as some of your favourite WeStreamFM streamers, bloggers and YouTubers all gearing up for the next edition of the beautiful game.

Interested in becoming a guest writer for WeStreamFM? Drop us a DM or reach out to MaddFM directly.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 9 - Lothar Matthaus

The saga continues - we visit another country and another undisputed world footballing icon as we look to Football Manager to help us emulate and replicate a former World Cup, European Championship, Ballon d’Or, UEFA Cup and multiple domestic title winner. If you don’t know or respect the name already - you will.

The rules are simple - any modern-day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Are we confident that we can somehow piece together the key attributes to find ourselves the next Lothar Matthaus? One man is..

 
 

by @FMDoop

"A Lothar Matthaus will not be defeated by his body, a Lothar Matthaus will decide his fate himself."

A quote from the man himself.

It’s very rare to see a player’s trophy cabinet house eight league titles from 2 different top-flight nations, a World Cup, a European championship and a Ballon d'Or. In today’s Dubbed the Next episode, we are taking a look at Germany’s most capped player who was once labelled by Diego Maradona as “The best rival I’ve ever had.” Can we find a player that can come close to being as good as one of the most complete defensive midfielders of all time?

Lothar had great vision paired with a great range of passing. He possessed amazing positional sense, a tendency to perform well-timed tackles, as well as a powerful shot in his armoury. During his career, he usually played as a box-to-box midfielder, although late in his career he dropped back and played as a sweeper. Oh, how I miss the FM14 game when you could last play a sweeper. All in all, you can see why he almost won everything the game has to offer. Apart from a Champions League; Matthaus was famously minutes away from collecting a winner’s medal until Teddy and Ole ended those hopes and dreams. Sorry, Lothar, as a Manchester United fan I had to mention it.

 

Matthaus clocked up 596 club senior apps in 21 years. During that time he had two stints at Bayern Munich and a great 4-year spell at Inter Milan. As much as his club career was a huge success, Matthaus was able to Captain his country to a World Cup win in 1990 as well as being part of the Euro 1980 win. Following the 1990 World cup win, Matthaus was awarded a Ballon d’Or. With the great catalogue of German defensive midfielders at the time, Matthaus had the capability to move between the roles of Sweeper and Holding Midfielder and this was key to the amount of games he played at the top level.

So now we have had an introduction to Lothar Matthaus. Let us have a look at what he was like in Football Manager/ Championship manager and therefore try to identify a player who can fill his very very big boots.

Rewind ⏪

 
 

We are heading back to the wonderful Championship Manager 2, where we find a 35-year-old Lothar Matthaus described as a Sweeper/Defensive Midfielder. To be honest at the age of 35 he isn’t in his prime, however with the attributes of Determination, Tackling, Positioning all at 19/20, his Aggression, Marking, Technique and Passing all around 15/16 - it is safe to say he is still one hell of a player and his quality is clearly illustrated. With that in mind, we take to Football Manager 2021 using Matthaus’ key strengths to find his modern-day replica and hopefully again stamp the #WeStreamFM seal of approval in our Dubbed the Next series.

🔍 Tackling

🔍 Positioning

🔍 Passing

🔍 Marking

🔍 Technique

🔍 German

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Right, hear me out here. Yes, I have bigged up one hell of a midfielder. But Nnamdi Collins has the potential to be a world-class defensive midfielder. I have shown you two screenshots - one at Age 16 then one at Age 23 where he has since moved on to Tottenham in-game and is now valued at £61 million. At this age with a little bit of position retaining (if only someone had written a blog on how to do that - ah yes, footballmanager.com/the-byline/retraining-players-success-fm21), he is well on his way towards becoming the next Matthaus, a player that could hold that Sweeper/Defender role as well as a DM role for both club and country. He may lack the same aggression as Matthaus but of course he’s only a young lad and he excels in all the other areas we would require. Also, physically Collins is an absolute beast with a lovely turn of pace. With lower leadership and teamwork, he would need some work to become a good captain but that of course is down to a bit of good man management. Additionally, the fact he can play all across the back means he has Matthaus’ versatility also - highly valuable in Football Manager .  

There were others who came close. Werder Bremen’s Maximilian Eggstein looks like he has potential on paper but is slightly lacking in the more defensive areas in terms of attributes. PSG’s Thilo Kehrer is always a safe and solid bet for an all-round Defender/Defensive Midfielder however his Positioning and Leadership put him some way behind aspiring to Matthaus’ greatness. Suat Serdar gave us a very difficult decision, however his potential to be a World Class player is definitely more limited therefore we put all our eggs in the Nnamdi Collins basket in the hope that he will go on to do great things as did his legendary predecessor.

 

With an early pick up in-game and a bit of development by the manager, I can really see Collins making a huge impact in German football. He already has great defensive attributes alongside his good passing and technique and still has plenty of time to grow into a star. Therefore, he gets the #WeStreamFM seal of approval and is officially dubbed the “next” Lothar Matthaus.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Love Doop.

You can catch Doop live on Twitch most days where he is currently doing an Achievement Hunter challenge and doing bits at Red Star Paris, as well as every Monday on 5* Potential, your weekly Football Manager podcast.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 8 - Luis Figo

Italy, Spain, Brazil, Ireland, France, Belgium and England. 7 replicas of 7 legends from 7 countries already identified in this series so far, why stop now? We nearly have a full first XI assembled with one player from each nationality, and today we visit another footballing nation of excellence as we turn our focus to one of Portugal’s greatest ever exports and look to identify his modern day footballing counterpart.

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Before Cristiano Ronaldo there was one man above all that ruled Portuguese football. Are we confident that we can somehow piece together the key attributes to find ourselves the next Luis Figo? #HereWeGo.

 
 

by @DaveAzzopardi

You'll struggle to find a player who has played close to 800 competitive games consistently at the top level of world football. On top of that, Luis Figo grabbed 127 caps for Portugal including 32 goals for his nation. The pacey winger is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and his 106 assists in La Liga are the second most in the competition's history, behind one Lionel Messi. Not many players would have braved a transfer directly from Barcelona to Real Madrid but when you're as decorated and talented as Luis Figo, you can probably do as you please and eventually things will work out. They certainly did - across his career Figo won eight league titles, a Champions League and countless individual awards including the Ballon d'Or award in 2000 at a time when nominees included the likes of Zidane, Shevchenko, Henry and David Beckham who we covered in last week’s episode of this series.

 

Figo had a solid 20+ year career and despite being known predominantly as a winger, the Portuguese wizard moved into more of a playmaker and attacking midfield role as he started to lose the mobility and pace which made him ferocious for club and country for so many years. It'll be tricky for a player to ever emulate the style and skill of Luis Figo, but we're going to take to Football Manager 2021 to try and unearth the next Luis Figo from the goldmine of up and coming talent Portugal has to offer, and in turn hopefully stamp the #WeStreamFM seal of approval on the next Luis Figo in world football.

 

Rewind ⏪

 
 

In 1996 a 23-year- old Figo had just recently made the move from Sporting Lisbon to Barcelona after supposed deals with both Juventus and Parma fell through resulting in him receiving a two-year transfer ban which prevented him joining any clubs in Italy. Already capped for Portugal, from here he would go on to achieve footballing greatness linking up with the likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert and eventually move on to Real Madrid for a World Record fee of €62m at the time where he would also pick up that famous Ballon d’Or in the year 2000.

Today we're going to be basing our search on a fairly raw Luis Figo during his early days at Barcelona. Championship Manager 2 gave Figo slightly less pace than you'd probably expect but at that time still he still boasted top level dribbling, flair, creativity and technique and this is what we are looking for in today’s generation of Portuguese talent. Let's see what Football Manager 2021 can come up with...

🔍 Dribbling

🔍 Flair

🔍 Technique

🔍 Passing

🔍 Vision

🔍 Portuguese

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This was a tricky choice but based on the attributes you'd commonly associate with Figo, it had to be Barcelona's Francisco Trincão. The Portuguese youngster is only 20 years of age at the start of FM21 and by the time he is 23, I think his attributes could be extremely close to mirroring those of a CM2 Luis Figo. Trincão boasts strong dribbling, technique, passing and vision which fits the type of profile that we are looking for. With the young winger having years ahead of him, exposure to first team football could see him become one of the best wide players on FM21 and can already fit a number of attacking positions across the pitch. It wasn't completely straight forward making Trincão the final choice though. AC Milan forward Rafael Leão possesses a number of quality attributes to rival Trincão and could once again be another player to mirror Figo's attributes. However, with the 21-year-old playing a slightly different position and not excelling in certain attributes, he fell just short of the selection. I mean, I couldn't do this article and not include a Wolves player. Pedro Neto offers a number of top attributes to rival the choice of Francisco Trincão. Wolves' tricky winger has high attributes for dribbling and flair but his end product (including finishing, long shots and passing) is a little bit lower than desired. The final name that was under consideration was Sporting's Pedro Gonçalves. The former Wolves man has had a really impressive campaign for the team Figo started his career with. Although predominately a central attacking midfielder, Pote offers a strong ability on the ball with high technique and vision levels. However, I don't think his ability and potential is that higher level to be dubbed the next Luis Figo and therefore quite matches Francisco Trincão is the player we expect to replicate some of Figo’s success in the very near future.

Let us know if you agree!

Thanks for reading,

Dave.

You can catch Dave live on Twitch where he is currently managing a brand new save at Sporting, while you can also find all of his YouTube content here including his current FM21 Journeyman series.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 7 - David Beckham

There aren’t many players that can boast title winning medals from England, Spain, France and USA, over 100 caps for England having captained his national side for 6 years playing in three World Cups and two European Championships (as well as giving Diego Simeone a kicking and living to tell the tale), being a co-owner of not one but two professional football clubs (Salford City and Inter Miami), being the victim of Alex Ferguson’s right foot when he somehow kicked a spare boot right at Beckham’s face, and of course marrying a Spice Girl in-between just for good measure.

Yes, it’s safe to say there haven’t been many English players to make such an impact on world football as David Beckham did ever since he emerged from the famous Class of ‘92 and announced his greatness on a global scale following that infamous goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon and a poor misfortunate Neil Sullivan in goal - which makes the task of trying to emulate Beckham’s playing style and finding a modern day replica that bit more challenging but nevertheless, we take to Football Manager 2021 to find the next David Beckham among England’s future generation of talented midfielders.

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Are we confident that we can somehow piece together the key attributes to find ourselves the next “Goldenballs”? #WeGoAgain.

 
 

by MaddFM


“True winners are relentless. The very best players compete against themselves to become as good as they can be. They have to be dragged off the training ground.”

Sir Alex Ferguson on David Beckham’s training & work ethic.


Posh Spice. Adidas Predator. Sarongs. Number 7. Pepsi adverts. Red Cards. Free Kicks. Dodgy Haircuts. It’s safe to say that David Beckham was and still is an iconic football figure in world football, and although he was often more commonly known for his image and non-footballing exploits, you can’t get away from the fact that the man was quite simply a brilliant footballer with unrivalled technique and ball distribution, as well as an incredibly intelligent football brain and ingenious on-field football vision which one could easily argue was up there among the greatest of all time 🐐.


David Beckham scored 127 goals during his 21 seasons at Man Utd, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Milan and PSG. Not bad for a winger right?


He assisted 202 goals in the same period.


It’s easy to think back to some of Man Utd’s great goalscorers during their golden era wherein the likes of Paul Scholes, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Teddy Sheringham and Ruud van Nistelrooy regularly topped the club/league scoring charts, however during this time one thing remained constant: Beckham, eternal provider, crosser extraordinaire, pinger of long balls and the best right foot the Premier League has ever seen - so much of those Strikers’ and Manchester United’s long term success resulted from Beckham’s consistent lethality both in terms of creating headed goals from crosses, executing pinpoint passes to ignite counter attacks, repeat perfection from set-pieces and popping up with the odd humdinger from time to time, which means whoever we identify as having the potential to be the next Becks carries a fairly heavy burden (let alone having to find a popstar to marry). Who will it be?


Rewind ⏪

 
 

The year 2000. Pulp are getting ready for a big meet up they’ve been planning since 1995. Millennium bug is in the mud. A 26 year old Beckham has no idea that Victoria wants him to move to Spain, or that he will soon score a free-kick for England against Greece that will echo down through the ages. Championship Manager 00/01 clearly emphasizes Beckham’s all round ability as a Right Midfielder and to find his modern day counterpart we will take his strongest attributes from that version and plug them into Football Manager 2021; now we wait..


🔍 Passing

🔍 Crossing

🔍 Flair

🔍 Vision

🔍 Free Kicks

🔍 English


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Is this a surprise? If we are looking specifically at Position, Ability, Passing/Vision and most importantly his Set Piece ability in terms of Free Kicks and Corner taking - James Maddison is the standout candidate as having the tools and potential to emulate Beckham’s success for club and country both as a provider as well as a goalscorer. Already lighting up the Premier League and getting international recognition, the next 10 years will hopefully see Maddision become a household name domestically and internationally, and Leicester will need to continue to finish highly and almost overachieve if they hope to keep Maddision at the club and match his ability and ambition. Trent Alexander-Arnold was most certainly a close candidate especially with his Set Piece quality, however positionally there are definitely some differences and it’s unlikely we will ever see TAA move away from his position as a Wing-Back. On the blue side of Manchester Phil Foden gave us a difficult decision, however there was one main problem: he is left footed! Beckham’s right foot is a national treasure and therefore poor Phil cannot be in contention based on his stronger side. In terms of slightly more outside bets with definite potential to play the Beckham role - Ryan Kent is a definite shout albeit with room to improve in all areas, while Norwich’s Kieran Dowell is an excellent underdog if like me you fancy a challenge. For now though it’s James Maddision who is a ready-made replacement and therefore he gets the #WeStreamFM seal of approval as the next David Beckham.

Thanks for reading,

MaddFM.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

Euro U21 Championships - 8 Players to Watch

The European U21 Championship kicks off this week in a year that has rocked football in terms of business as usual, and to celebrate the occasion which is being held in Hungary and Slovenia we have picked 8 players to watch in this year’s tournament using Football Manager to guide us in terms of their key attributes, strengths, playing style and potential - some of whom you may recognise and some of whom may not be so familiar, but all of whom we are tipping to have a big tournament ahead of them in terms of performance and opportunity on one of European Football’s biggest stages.

 
ONES_TO_WATCH.png
 

by MaddFM

1. Pedro Gonçalves (Portugal)

 
 

When Bruno Fernandes left Sporting Lisbon to join Manchester United in January 2020 he left big boots to fill. Step forward Pedro Gonçalves, who has very much risen to the occasion this season bagging 15 goals and 4 assists so far to help Sporting create a 10 point gap at the top of Liga Nos with 24 games played. Wolves fans reading this will rightly be facepalming given the fact that Gonçalves spent two seasons at Molineux but was only handed one senior appearance before being allowed to leave on a free transfer to Familicao whom he helped achieve their highest ever league finish last season, and since completing a €6.5m move to Sporting he has been formidable in the absence of their former talisman and even more impressively, all of his goals have come from open play which adds further weight as to why he has already been linked with a host of top European clubs.

In Football Manager terms, Gonçalves can play in any of the more attacking midfield roles as well as out wide or up front, and his excellent Vision, Technique, Off the Ball and Finishing make him almost certain to feature highly in the goals and assists charts.

 
 

In terms of this tournament - despite being given one of the tougher groups alongside England, Croatia and Switzerland, Portugal are tipped as one of the favourites behind the likes of France and Spain with players such as Rafael Leão, Florentino Luis and Francisco Trincao all expected to shine at this years tournament, however Gonçalves is ideally placed to be the key man for Rui Jorge’s side and if he can replicate his club form right from the beginning of the Group Stages, expect Portugal to go far and Gonçalves’ name to be featured highly by the time the competition ends in June.

2. Amine Gouiri (France)

 
 

This man’s name has been on almost everyone’s lips both in the Football Manager community as well as among French and European football commentators alike since his emergence from the youth ranks at Lyon where he went on to be Top Scorer for France at both the U17 Euros and World Cup, before sealing a €7m move to Nice last summer when opportunities at Lyon appeared limited behind the likes of Rayan Cherki and Moussa Dembele. Despite Nice somewhat struggling this season which ultimately led to manager Patrick Vieira losing his job in December 2020, Gouiri has been instrumental in their recent revival scoring 6 goals since February bringing his total to 12 goals and 6 assists so far this season. Capable of playing on the left or up front, it will be interesting to see how he is deployed in this France team with the likes of Odsonne Eduoard, Moussa Diaby and Jonathan Ikoné all competing for a forward spot for Les Bleus, however with 4 goals in 8 games for the U21 side Gouiri looks certain to feature prominently in this year’s competition.

In Football Manager terms - aside from the fact that he has been outstanding for me in my Angers save, Gouiri is equally adept playing as an Inside Forward or as an Advanced Forward/Lone Striker and his attributes in terms of Pace, Off the Ball, Composure and Finishing make him one of the best Strikers in this year’s game particularly with regard to his value and output, and he is ready-made to walk into almost any top side at the start of a save.

 
 

If Gouiri can be equally ready for France’s opening group games against Denmark, Russia and Iceland then he might even be in with a shout of the Top Scorer accolades should manager Sylvain Ripoll favour him up front in this France side which already boasts the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and Houssem Aouar behind in midfield. His recent club form has shot him right up the Ligue 1 scoring charts just eight goals behind Kylian Mbappe at the top and only two shy of Memphis Depay in second - if you see his name listed in France’s starting XI then you can be almost certain he will appear in the top scorer charts if France progress to the final as expected.

3. Teun Koopmeiners (Netherlands)

 
 

Another man who is no stranger to Football Manager enthusiasts - Teun Koopmeiners is arguably one of the most experienced players in this year’s competition having already been capped for the Senior team as well as having four full Eredivise seasons under his belt at AZ where he is already club captain despite being one of the younger members of their talented squad. Capable of playing either as a Centre Half or Centre Midfielder, Koopmeiners is unique in that he possesses both defensive and attacking qualities which are cleraly highlighted by his 15 goals and 5 assists for AZ this season - interestingly 9 of which have come from the penalty spot which might just come in useful in an International tournament.

In Football Manager terms - Koopmeiners is an ideal signing for almost any club given his all round attributes and versatility in either defence or midfield. At 22 years of age when you start a new save, he already has the necessary physical, mental and technical attributes to warrant a starting spot and depending on where you need him most, he could be quickly moulded into an exceptional Defender or Midfielder if given the right individual training and development - nice to see his Set Piece ability also reflected which is always favourable in match situations.

 
 

Why Koopmeiners is one to watch this year is not that the Netherlands are guaranteed to go far in this tournament especially considering the fact that much of their eligible players have been drafted into the Senior set-up e.g. Calvin Stengs, Ryan Granvenberch and Donyell Malen, but rather it is a chance for him to prove himself on a much higher global level outside of the Dutch Premier League which in turn may lead to him sealing a much deserved move to a bigger club and league having been linked with the likes of Everton, Leeds and more recently Inter in recent weeks. With the likes of Sven Botman, Justin Kluivert and Myron Boadu around him, the ingredients are most certainly there for Holland to have a good tournament should they progress from their group as expected against Germany, Romania and Hungary.

4. Callum Hudson-Odoi (England)

 
 

When you consider how long Callum Hudson-Odoi (whom we will now name CHO for convenience) has been spoken about and been in the limelight among English and German footballing circles (throwback to Bayern Munich’s failed pursuit of his signature back in 2019) - it’s hard to believe that CHO is the first 2000’s born player to get a mention in this list especially considering he has already been fully capped for England as well as being a first team player for Chelsea for the past three seasons. The reason for him making this list is that after so much hype and promise since he emerged from the Chelsea academy, he has slightly struggled to live up to his potential at Chelsea, finding it difficult to nail down a regular first team place both under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel as well as lacking when it comes to either goals or assists as part of his overall output with just 2 goals and 2 assists so far this season, and although this is clearly a highly talented England side with the likes of Mason Greenwood, Curtis Jones, Eberechi Eze and Emile Smith Rowe, when we compare to sides with names such as Trincao, Aouar, Puig and Moukoko then you would argue it’s about time that CHO made his stamp as a truly gifted footballer of this generation and fully rise to the occasion to elevate this young England team accordingly.


In Football Manager terms, CHO is one of those players that (similar to his current IRL situation) may not rack up the goals and assists but can be a game changer purely based on his speed and technical ability - akin to the likes of Kingsley Coman and Ousmane Dembele who are a joy to watch in the match engine based on their speed and movement in wide areas.

 
 

England are up there among the favourites in this year’s Euro U21 Championship, largely based on the fact that the vast majority of the squad are first team regulars in the Premier League giving them a very solid all-round squad full of experience and pedigree, however if they are to have any hopes of winning and competing with the likes of Spain, France and Portugal then they will definitely need big performances from CHO as one of their star players in the absence of the likes of Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Buyako Saka who all make the Senior squad for their upcoming qualifiers, and hopefully he seizes this opportunity to prove his worth and fulfil his undoubted potential as a top English winger.

5. Nicolò Rovella (Italy)

 
 

Taking a slight gamble here given that Rovella only made his U21 debut last November and arguably we should be speaking about either his more well-known international midfield team-mate Sandro Tonali or his colleague at Genoa, Gianluca Scamatta - however based on his rise to prominence at the heart of Genoa’s midfield which has recently led to a €20m move to Juventus at the end of the season, this tournament could be a breakthrough moment for Rovella on the European stage. While both he and Tonali are quite similar in their strengths and footballing ability, Rovella offers more in terms of breaking up play and operating as a proper defensive midfielder, racking up an average of 3 tackles & interceptions per 90 mins in 2020.

In the Football Manager world, Rovella is most suited as either a Secundo Volante or a Box to Box Midfielder, but aged just 18 years at the beginning of FM21 he is primed and ready to be trained and developed in almost any midfield role available especially combining his attributes with his Resolute personality and 17 Determination rating.

 
 

With Manuel Locatelli called up to the Senior squad and Nicolo Zaniolo out of contention due to a long term injury, Rovella has the perfect opportunity to try and break into the Italy first XI for their group games against Spain, Czech Republic and Slovenia assuming manager Paolo Nicolato finds a way to include him alongside Tonali - either way Rovella has a bright future ahead of him and will need to continue to improve to compete with an incredibly talented generation of Italian Centre Midfielders.

6. Mohamed Daramy (Denmark)

 
 

Moving slightly away from some of the more mainstream international sides, one of the younger and most exciting prospects in this year’s tournament is FC København’s Mo Daramy, who despite not having a Danish name was born in Denmark to Sierra Leonean parents and declared for the national side pretty much immediately after bursting on the scene to become FC København’s youngest ever goalscorer. He has been top scorer throughout his rise in the academy teams in the Danish capital, although in recent times he has mainly played as a Winger or Inside Forward rather than in the Striker role bagging 3 goals and 2 assists so far this season.

In Football Manager terms - it is clear to see where Daramy’s strengths lie, with strong Pace, Acceleration, Agility, Technique and Dribbling meaning he is definitely geared towards a wide role or as a pacey Striker. His Finishing needs work and some intensive individual and positioning training would be needed to see him succeed as a forward, however he definitely has bags of potential and would be a shrewd signing for most sides even if he is still a few years away from competing at the highest level.

 
 

Considering Daramy is yet to make his debut for the U21 side having never featured for any underage Denmark team, he could be considered to be a somewhat unknown quantity when it comes to his impact on an international tournament however if is club performances are anything to go by along with his lightning pace which will trouble any defender, he could prove to be the catalyst that sees Denmark advance from Group C ahead of Russia as they both compete for a likely runner-up spot behind France.

7. Marc Cucurella (Spain)

 
 

Aside from the fact that his hair makes him resemble a young Carles Puyol when he dons a Spanish jersey, Marc Cucurella is one of the hottest prospects in Spain at the moment which perhaps has dropped off from people’s radar since he made a permanent move from Barcelona to Getafe in search of regular first team football following a successful loan move. Equally adept either at Wing Back or as a Left Winger, he has been ever present for Getafe this season contributing 3 goals and an assist in 27 games played, with definite room for improvement compared to his 6 assists last season.


In Football Manager 2021 Cucurella is the stand-out player in an average Getafe team, and generally ends up making the move to a much bigger European club (currently rocking it at PSG in my Angers save) and his excellent all round attributes combined with his versatility make him a star Wing Back or Winger in-game.

 
 

Capped at all age groups for Spain bar the Senior squad, one would argue that this tournament is a golden opportunity for Cucurella to not only shine on the international stage and put himself out there in terms of potential suitors, but also to stake a claim for the full Spain setup as they begin their World Cup qualification campaign - most likely he will be deployed as a Left Midfielder with Juan Miranda likely to occupy the Left Back spot. With the likes of Pedri, Bryan Gil and Ansu Fati called up to the full squad, it will be up to the likes of Cucurella, Brahim Diaz and Riqui Puig to ensure Spain hit the ground running and live up to their potential as tournament favourites.

8. Youssoufa Moukoko (Germany)

 
 

I mean, how can we not mention him. Fully aware that he is arguably the most talked about youth prospect in football and Football Manager circles alike, at just 16 he became the youngest player and goalscorer in Bundesliga history as well as the youngest player ever to play in the Champions League, and he has already managed to score 3 goals in 14 appearances for Dortmund this season (largely as a substitute).

Moukoko sent ruptures through the Football Manager community when he was finally included in the game following the January update for FM21, and his attributes combined with the fact that he has the highest potential ability in game alongside Eduardo Camavinga mean he is destined for greatness no matter what save universe you embark upon (click here to watch our own Dave Azzopardi review Moukoko’s outstanding ability and potential).

 

Cameroon-born Moukoko has stirred a media frenzy in world football and all eyes will be on him assuming he is named in Stefan Kuntz’ starting XI for their opening game against hosts Hungary. At 16 he is the youngest player in the tournament and looks set to be the shining light of Germany’s campaign with the likes of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz called straight up to the senior squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, and if the likes of Joshua Vagnoman, Arne Meier, Jonathan Burkhardt and Lukas Nmecha play well around him, this Germany team has the potential to go far in this competition.

Honorable Mentions

Of course the above are only 8 of 368 players named for this tournament, we may be right and we may be wrong but overall if we look at ability, potential, importance and opportunity then each of these players all have the chance to make a huge impact on this competition in their own right and stake a claim either for a move to a bigger club or to be in the reckoning for a Senior call-up in the near future. Some of the more well-known players that we haven’t listed would be the likes of Houssem Aouar (France), Mason Greenwood (England), Brahim Diaz (Spain), Gianluca Scamacca (Italy), Myron Boadu (Netherlands), Eberechi Eze (England) and Rafael Leao (Portugal) while we may also see a few less familiar faces rise to the occasion such as Brian Brobbey (Netherlands), Radu Drăgușin (Romania), Adam Karabec (Czech Republic), Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen (Iceland), Fyodor Chalov (Russia), Domagoj Bradarić (Croatia) and Noah Okafor (Switzerland). Interestingly this year will also see teams given the opportunity to bring in new players after the group stages, with the final group games scheduled for 31st March before a 2 month break until the Knockout stage on 31st May. This means we may see a number of players that were left out due to injury or Covid restrictions return to their sides for the Quarter Finals meaning the likes of Joško Gvardiol (Croatia), Andrea Pinamonti (Italy) and Adam Hložek (Czech Republic) could all yet feature despite not being named in their countries’ initial 23 man squads. One thing is for sure - this tournament looks set to be a cracker and will hopefully set us up nicely for the full-fat competition later this year.

It’s also worth mentioning that this year’s competition looks like it’s straight out of the Football Manager world when we look at a few of the Managers at the helm of some of these U21 squads - Igor Biscan (Croatia), Adrien Mutu (Romania) and Zoltan Gera (Hungary) are all former internationals currently leading their nations’ U21 sides and as Football Manager players, we absolutely love to see this 🔥.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the tournament!

MaddFM.

Be sure to follow WeStreamFM on Twitter for all the latest Football Manager content - you can also get involved by joining the WeStreamFM Discord where you can find hundreds of like minded FM enthusiasts as well as some of your favourite WeStreamFM streamers, bloggers and YouTubers all geared up for the this year’s edition of the beautiful game.

 

Dubbed the Next: Episode 6 - Vincent Kompany

Six episodes in - let’s bring some Centre Backs into the equation shall we? So far we have had legends from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Ireland and France, and today we profile an iconic figure from yet another nation of footballing excellence as we head to Belgium in our quest to find notable footballing royalty and identify a candidate worthy of being dubbed as their modern day counterpart and one to watch for the near future.

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Considering Vincent Kompany was just 22 years old when he moved to Man City in 2008, these most certainly are not small boots to fill. Let’s do this.

 
Kompany.jpg
 

by @adam_otbfm

“He is one of a small number of players who are universally liked and respected. He transcends football rivalry.” Gary Lineker

Vincent Kompany is arguably the player most synonymous with the Sheikh Mansour era at Manchester City, despite the fact he actually preceded the current ownership by a full 10 days!  Kompany joined Manchester City in 2008 as a very talented, but injury prone youngster who saw himself as a budding midfielder; by the time he left the club in 2019 he was one of the greatest central defenders the Premier League has ever seen. He was Captain Fantastic.

Throughout his career, Vincent won 6 league titles (2 in Belgium, 4 in England), 2 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Community Shields, as well as a host of individual awards. He also captained Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, and helped them to a third place finish in 2018 on the way to winning 89 caps.

His most iconic individual moment came towards the end of his illustrious City career. On the 6th May 2019, Manchester City hosted Leicester City, knowing that they had to win to keep their advantage in the title race going into the final day of the season. After 70 nervous minutes the scores were still level, when Aymeric Laporte played a simple pass to his defensive colleague, who drifted forward, perusing his options, before unleashing a rocket from 25 yards that flew into the top corner. Kompany hadn’t hit a shot on target from outside the area in 6 years, but when his side needed a moment of magic, he stepped up and delivered - even if his team-mates and manager doubted him. 

 
 

Ironically it was left to a Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, to sum up the magnitude of the moment.


"Never in my life Vincent Kompany, he thought about hitting it the first time. He ignores it, he goes a bit further forward. Wow. Where do you want your statue Vincent Kompany?”

Kompany was an excellent example of the modern Ball-Playing Defender. Football Manager gives the following explanation to the role: ‘The main job of the Ball-Playing Defender is to stop the opposing attackers from playing and to clear the ball from danger when required. However, unlike standard central defenders, the Ball-Playing Defender is encouraged to launch defence splitting through balls from deep to generate counter-attacking opportunities.’ 

Before we can identify Kompany’s heir apparent, we need to take a step back in time, and find out exactly what made him so special in his prime.

Rewind ⏪

We’re back in 2014, where Vincent Kompany has just come back from captaining his nation at the World Cup, having been named in the latest Premier League Team of the Year after guiding Manchester City to their second title in three years. 

 
 

At 28 Kompany was not only in his prime years but also one of the finest central defenders on the planet. At 6’3” he was a physically imposing, aerially dominant defender; but was also quick, good with the ball at his feet and read the game excellently. Truly a great all-rounder. What really set Kompany apart though, was his bravery and determination to do whatever it took for his side to succeed, he led by example and that’s why he’s in the discussion whenever the Premier League’s greatest captains are discussed. With that in mind, we take to Football Manager 2021 using Kompany’s key strengths to find his modern day replica and hopefully again stamp the #WeStreamFM seal of approval in our Dubbed the Next series.

🔍 Heading

🔍 Tackling

🔍 Passing

🔍 Anticipation

🔍 Bravery

🔍 Determination

🔍 Leadership

🔍 Positioning

🔍 Strength 

🔍 Belgian

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To anybody who has had a save in the top 5 leagues in the last couple of editions of Football Manager, seeing Zinho Vanheusden top this list may not come as a surprise. He is not only the closest Belgium have to a new Vincent Kompany, but he’s also one of the finest prospects across the entire nation. He lacks slightly in aggression, understandable at just 20, but excels in every other area with fantastic defensive ability; strong mentals in Positioning, Anticipation and Bravery; and is 6’2” with great strength. He actually exceeds Kompany’s ball playing ability, with 15s in Passing and Flair plus 12 for Vision, and although at 20 he may be a bit too young to captain a side right now, he is surely a future captain with 14 Leadership - maybe even for Belgium? 

There were some other strong options when it came to finding the new Vincent Kompany. Marco Kana is a great prospect at just 17 and already has many of the attributes that Vincent possessed, however, at just 5’10” and with an 8 for strength, he isn’t likely to dominate in the air and is potentially better suited to a defensive midfield role. Sébastiaan Bornauw is a player who most definitely will dominate in the air, and is an excellent prospect, but doesn’t quite use the ball as effectively as Kompany or Vanheusden. Beyond them, we have Wout Faes and Elias Cobbaut who offer a couple more interesting options. Faes is very good in the air and on the ball, but isn’t quite as brave and lacks a bit of recovery pace which sees him fall just short. Cobbaut is slightly weaker mentally than the others on the list, with his lower levels of anticipation a particular weakness. His main strengths come in a slightly different area to Kompany’s, with his exceptional fitness, stamina and work rate making him a potentially great full-back.

Zinho Vanheusden already has all the attributes of an excellent ball-playing defender and still has plenty of time to grow into a star. Therefore, he gets the #WeStreamFM seal of approval and is officially dubbed the “next” Vincent Kompany. Watch this space - he will surely close it down.

Thanks once again to MaddFM and WeStreamFM for having me back on to contribute to the series for a second time, and thank you for reading!

Adam. 

Enjoyed this? Make sure to check out Adam’s wide variety of quality FM content on his own blog here.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to @MaddFM directly.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 5 - Fabien Barthez

We are building quite a squad here right? So far we have been mainly focused on midfield or attacking players in our Dubbed the Next project wherein we have selected some pretty decent footballing legends (check out Pirlo, Raul, Kaka and Keane if you haven’t already) and identified a number of candidates who look set to replicate their success and playing style in modern day football. Today we turn our attention to the more defensive side of the pitch and look at yet another iconic player from a new nation of choice whom we hope to emulate in Football Manager 2021 - a player who amassed one World Cup, one European Championship, two Premier Leagues, one Champions League and three French league titles all while having never scored or assisted a single goal in his 16 years as a professional footballer but was a vital cog in every side in which he featured. You already know his name…

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Who wouldn’t want to be dubbed the next Fabien Barthez?

 
 

by MaddFM

As footballing icons go, they don’t make batshit crazy players like they used to. Maradona, Jones, Gazza, Cantona - the closest we have had in recent times would probably be Zlatan, Mario Balotelli or Joey Barton however one could argue they live in the shadow of their earlier predecessors in terms of full on barmyness. Fabien Barthez most certainly fits in this category - from urinating on-pitch during a UEFA cup game, a 6 month ban for smoking cannabis, spitting at referees, smoking before games, dating supermodels and even trying his hand at a career in motorsport after retiring from football - it’s safe to say the Frenchman was up there among the maddest of footballing hatters however look past the madness and you will find one of the best and most influential goalkeepers of the past 30 years whom football commentators often argue was one of the pioneers of the Sweeper Keeper role due to how comfortable he was with the ball at his feet - so much so that he even tried his hand as a left winger in a pre-season friendly for Man Utd during a tour of Singapore, where he calmly proceeded to nutmeg his opponent with his first touch of the ball. We might be asking a lot to replicate a man of Fabien’s stature but as mad hatters go, we are all a bit mad around here..

 
 

Rewind ⏪

 
 

Back in CM9798 there was no Eccentricity for goalkeepers - the lad probably could have had an attribute of about 35 if there was. What we do observe when looking at a 26 year old Barthez is outstanding Aggression, Determination, Positioning, Shot Stopping, Rushing Out, Aerial Ability and interestingly, Passing - clearly reflecting his unique technical ability as a Sweeper Keeper in addition to his powerful goalkeeping attributes. Nowadays the Sweeper Keeper has evolved into a much more technical and influential component, almost becoming an extra defender at times with excellent feet, passing and distribution (think Ederson or Manuel Neuer). With this in mind, our search will focus on finding a Barthez-esque keeper with similar levels of Agression and Determination, competent in terms of Shot Stopping (Handling) and Command of Area as well as emulating that Passing/Technical ability as a Sweeper Keeper. As always we don’t ask for much right?

🔎 Aggression

🔎 Determination

🔎 Passing

🔎 Handling

🔎 Command of Area

🔎 First Touch

🔎 French

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If you follow the Premier League then you won’t be surprised to see Illan Meslier’s name pop in our results especially when looking for a quality French goalkeeper under the age of 23. Following Kiko Casilla’s suspension, Meslier became the youngest goalkeeper in the Premier League and the first millennium-born #1 in the division, and he has continued to keep Casilla out of the Leeds starting XI ever since. Operating as a Sweeper Keeper, he plays a vital role often acting as an extra defender rushing out to intercept or break-up play and initiating subsequent counter-attacks as part of Leeds’ high-energy high-tempo playing style under Marcelo Bielsa. Strong on his feet, quality distribution and of course solid when it comes to shot-stopping, aerial command and reflexes, Meslier looks set to challenge for and succeed in taking the honour of becoming Hugo Lloris’s replacement in the France set up and whether his long-term future lies at Leeds will be an interesting development as his performances continue to catch the eye of media and scouting teams alike. I was tempted to lean towards my own current FM21 goalkeeper at Angers in Paul Bernardoni (he is even bald enough) however he lacks that passing and touch/technique which made Barthez such an impactful keeper, while the likes of Gautier Larsonneur and Alban Lafont came close but lacked that Aggression and Determination which gave Barthez that extra edge/mad streak that made him the legend he is today. Meslier doesn’t look to be at that same madness level but as Sweeper Keepers go, he looks set to elevate to the top tier in the coming years and it surely won’t be long before France and some elite European clubs come calling. Might be time to shave the head Illan 😄.

 
 

Thanks for reading,

MaddFM.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

Dubbed the Next: Episode 4 - Roy Keane

Pirlo. Raul. Kaka. We have high standards here at WeStreamFM and today is no different. While one is often inclined to be drawn towards more technical or creative players when looking at past icons of the game, let’s not forget that much of these players’ success was in part due to the heroic efforts of unsung heroes that did the dirty work behind them, which in turn enabled them to become the creative or more attacking threat that made them the household names they are today. For every Pirlo there was a Gattuso; for every Raul there was a Redondo or a Makelele, and for every Kaka you need a Xabi Alonso - great players are only as good as those around them and this has long been the case both historically and in modern day football.


Roy Keane epitomised this key function in the great Manchester United sides of the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Were it not for Keane, Paul Scholes would arguably never have become the outstanding attacking threat that he was which made him one of the most feared and effective attacking midfielders to ever grace the Premier League, and for this reason we will today be looking to identify the next Roy Keane in today’s generation of defensive midfielders, using Football Manager to guide us towards identifying the perfect candidate to be given the unenviable honour of being dubbed the “next" Roy Keane.

 
RK.gif
 

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. With Ireland struggling at International level in recent times, will we be able to identify a suitable candidate from the Emerald Isle with the potential to emulate Keane’s success for club and country? There’s only one way to find out.

 
Dubbed_The_Next_RK.jpg
 

by @MaddFM_

“He’d rather die of exhaustion than lose” (Alex Ferguson, 1999)

Where to start with Roy Keane. While some of you may know him mainly for his direct and no-nonsense approach as a pundit on Sky Sports, it’s Keane’s on-field exploits that really defined him as a footballing legend at Manchester United where he captained the side for 8 of his 12 seasons at the club. Ferocious in the tackle, outstanding positioning and anticipation, unrivalled work rate and excellent with his feet, one could argue there hasn’t been a midfielder like him in the Premier League since, and it’s easy to understand why he amassed 3 Footballer of the Year awards, 7 Premier League medals, 1 Champions League, 4 FA Cups and earned 67 caps for Ireland the majority of which he also earned as Captain of the national side.

While Keane may look back on certain moments of his career and wonder (e.g. being suspended for the 1999 Champions League final, his 2002 exit from the Ireland World Cup camp in Saipan or that incident with Alf-Inge Håland) - what he brought to that famous Man United side in terms of leadership, skill, influence, determination and pure class was one of the pivotal drivers in their long term success. Living up to his name is no easy feat for whomever we identify as having potential to be the next Roy Keane as surely there aren’t many players so irreplicable as the man himself, however with the help of Championship Manager 97/98 we can look back on a 25 year old Roy in an attempt to identify the key attributes which made him one of the greatest midfielders of his generation in the hope that we can replicate something similar in the latest version of Sports Interactive’s masterpiece, Football Manager 2021.

Rewind ⏪

1997. Roy Keane has just been handed the Man Utd captain’s armband by Alex Ferguson following the retirement of one Eric Cantona, which also sees Teddy Sheringham arrive at Old Trafford from Spurs for a €3.5m fee and the Number 7 jersey handed to a 22 year old David Beckham.

 
 


Considering Keane got even better as the years went on, it’s easy to see what it was that made him such a formidable force in the middle of the park for club and country. Aggression, Determination, Influence, Positioning, Stamina, Strength, Tackling - not a single player comes close when filtering specifically for a minimum 16 rating across all 7 of those attributes in CM9798 (David Batty being the closest with 15 Influence). What chance have we of replicating this in FM21 looking for an Irish player under the age of 23 in the same position?


🔎 Aggression

🔎 Tackling

🔎 Determination

🔎 Leadership

🔎 Positioning

🔎 Work Rate

🔎 Irish


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The red side of Manchester winces as 18-year-old Man City academy graduate Joe Hodge is the player that looks most likely to evolve into the next Roy Keane going by FM21 standards. Obviously we can’t set a threshold of 16 for these attributes nor can we expect a young player to already have built up a high level of Strength or Stamina at the beginning of FM21, however Hodge ticks all the right boxes in terms of attribute potential (Tackling, Work Rate, Aggression, Leadership, Bravery) and with a Determination level of 19 (higher than his age) he is primed and ready to be trained and moulded into a powerhouse of a Defensive Midfielder and future captain of club and country. The likes of Jayson Molumby (Brighton), Conor Masterson (QPR) and Conor Coventry (West Ham) all came close to contention however were just slightly lacking that star quality potential, and Hodge at just 18 is at a perfect age to be developed into a a key player for almost any side in your next Football Manager save (if you can convince Man City to let him go). Spoiler alert: I am in the year 2026 in my current save and the kid has managed to find his way over to Dortmund under the guise of the Football Manager A.I. - imagine how good he can become with a proper Football Manager at the helm 🔥.

 
 

Thanks for reading,

MaddFM.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to MaddFM directly.

10 Blogging Tips for Football Manager

 
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by @MaddFM_

The life of a Football Manager blogger can be a lonely one. Interactions are often few and far between; conversations are generally a one-way street, and the inspiration that comes from things like Follow/Sub alerts, chat interactions or the infamous “comments below” is very much a pipe dream, a distant fruit that remains constantly out of reach mainly as, let’s face it, blogs just aren’t as much craic and by design naturally limit the propensity for positive interaction and stimulus from those few that continue to read our collective ramblings (for which we are of course eternally grateful).


So why do we do it then? The answer is simple - FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.


The truth is that blogging Football Manager is simultaneously one of the most and least rewarding ways of enjoying creating content for this magnificent football simulation game. While a blog is often the best way to communicate specific tips, insights, strategies or data-led analysis - it’s no secret that written FM content is one of the least ingested mediums of content consumption out there particularly in comparison to platforms such as Twitch or YouTube. Reading simply isn’t for everyone, nor do people have as much time or attention as they once had to consume written content - the modern age has made digital video media far more accessible, often easier or more enjoyable to digest/immerse in, as well as enabling the viewer to better connect or relate to the creator at hand, and our brains are increasingly more likely to be stimulated by more aesthetically pleasing content with high quality graphic design and production. Similarly - from a creator’s perspective, verbal and/or visual content creation is often far more suitable depending on personality, showmanship, communication style and/or technical ability hence why many of the top FM creators are drawn toward streaming or video production (and rightly so looking at the quality of the content being produced at present). 


Having said that, there is a market and an audience for everyone and whether you are a creator or consumer of content online it is clear that the nature of human behaviour means some of us are naturally drawn towards the written side of media content rather than more visual or interactive productions. As a blogger, writing probably comes more naturally to you or better suits your lifestyle/content creating capacity, while as a reader it is likely that you have a history of reading be it books, newspapers, magazines, stories and of course all of the excellent written media one can find and access with the click of a button in this day and age.


I myself definitely fall into this bucket having grown up reading hundreds of books as a kid as well as being a frequent flyer with written football content (the likes of Match, Shoot and Sported all jump to mind) - probably the reason I always wanted to become a journalist as a teenager although I wasn’t overly willing to study for it 😄. When I first discovered the Football Manager community and started to toy with the idea of creating my own FM content, streaming and video production of course crossed my mind however I quickly accepted that the only people who should have to listen to me are those who get paid to do so in work and I was naturally drawn towards blogging as a means for me to express some creativity in my FM saves, wherein I could narrate my adventures/misfortunes as well as enjoy and become more immersed in my own Football Manager saves, and since I published my first ever blog post (what feels like 10 years ago but was actually Sunday January 27th 2019), I have never looked back and each of the 4 full saves that I have played and blogged since are without doubt my best ever saves in all my 25 years of playing Championship Manager/Football Manager games (no disrespect to Messrs. Samba, Duff, West, Kerr, Bakircioglu, Saviola, Tsigalko, Svindal Larsson, Moukoko, Madeira and Adu - you brought me years of entertainment lads, never forgotten 🙌).

 

The Glory Days

 

Bloggers are certainly talkers though as you can see by the fact that it’s taken me four paragraphs to get to the point - in this post I will attempt to document and articulate some of my top tips for blogging Football Manager that I have picked up or observed since I started a couple of years back, which by no means will guarantee success or reveal anything game-changing but rather I hope will help you if you are either an aspiring blogger (Football Manager of course) or even if you have already dabbled or have experience in blogging and are looking to hear the perspective another slightly over-zealous, FM-addicted, should-know-better written content creator of the greatest game on Earth. 

1. What’s in a Name

The quality of the writing is usually what makes for a good blog and the main reason for people to read and come back for more. Getting them there in the first place is the main challenge, and while we bloggers usually steer clear of click-bait titles and thumbnails etc, you can’t underestimate the power and draw of a really good save title and graphic to accompany it. This title will be repeated throughout your series so making it catchy and memorable is the first step in creating that sense of intrigue and uniqueness for your save, while a quality save graphic helps to build that familiarity and recognition which entices and attracts interest from prospective readers of your work. Naturally us bloggers are not always the most creative or talented in this regard, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed.

 
 

2. Home or Away

So you’ve decided to start blogging, now you are wondering where do I start? If your own site is what you are after, there are plenty of free options out there to get started which have enough functionality for you to put together a really decent blog and shape it how you would like it - this first part can be a bit time consuming to get the right look and feel, but in the long run is well worth it to set you up for success going forward. The likes of Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace and Medium (other platforms are available) all offer free versions with which you can get started - I wouldn’t recommend paying for any type of plan unless you are clear on what you want and/or are at a point where you are ready to advance your site as well as obtain your own domain. Take your time, build up a catalogue and readership first - the rest can follow.


 
 

Alternatively if building your own site isn’t for you there are plenty of places and bloggers out there willing to host your content - the FM Community on Twitter is a great place to start, otherwise feel free to drop us a DM and we can point you in the right direction.

3. Screenshots, Screenshots, Screenshots


One of the first things I learned; screenshot EVERYTHING. Even if there is only a small chance you might use a specific screen-grab or graphic, take it - often once you hit that Continue button or once a few weeks have passed in-game, you can’t go back so getting into the habit of frequently taking screenshots of important or interesting events is essential for when you go to actually write a blog or season review etc, especially League Table standings which are next to impossible to wind back to a specific point in the season if you don’t grab a screenie at the time (I also highly recommending having 3-file auto-saving enabled in case you need to jump back for screenshot purposes). FM league tables do give the option to go back to the first or second half of the season if needed but this might not get you to the exact point in your save narrative needed to capture the moment.

 
 

Print Screen is useful for this and Snipping Tool also makes it quick and easy to screenshot as you go, however I would highly recommend downloading apps like Greenshot or Gyazo (great for GIFs) which offer a number of additional functionalities and editing tools as well as being slightly more user friendly.

4. Clickable Images

There is a lot going on at any one time on a Football Manager screen let alone in the game itself. The FM skin neatly condenses a lot of data and info in front of us however when it comes to screenshots these can sometimes be difficult to view without zooming in - let’s not forget that a lot of people consume content on mobile devices rendering images with detail or text almost impossible to read without expanding (we will talk about mobile devices shortly). You would think that most blog sites would automatically allow the reader click to expand all your images, however this is often not the case so it is essential to hyperlink or ensure that all images link to their original media file to allow for zooming in. Some sites also have plugins or lightbox effects for this but again these either need to be installed or enabled so be sure all your images are clickable before you go live!


5. TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

It would be hypocritical for me to talk about blog posts being too long if you were to look at the length of some of my previous articles (@FridayNightFM likes this) - however the fact of the matter is - if your post goes on for ages or requires a big commitment from the reader in order to digest from start to finish, you’re probably in trouble. The reader doesn’t need every single bit of detail on your thought process, the buttons you’ve clicked, commentary on each game - we all play FM therefore you can be forgiven for skipping over the minor unimportant parts. Ideally a blog post should only really take about 5-10 minutes to read (note: FM blogs make for ideal bio-break reading 🚽), otherwise you run the risk of losing the reader or making it too time consuming for them to engage and absorb your content. Attention spans in the 21st century are thinner than ever, the easier it is for them to digest your story and navigate the narrative, the more likely they are to enjoy it and want to return for more. Less is more, quality not quantity, size doesn’t matter etc etc.

6. Continuity & Regularity

The nature of written content is that it can be difficult to maintain over the course of a long period both from the writer and the reader’s perspective. Ever picked up a book and had to go back a few pages to remember where you left off? Blogs are no different therefore it is important not to assume that the reader knows exactly where and when we are in the narrative. A quick recap at the start of each blog does no harm to remind readers where you last left off, and similarly a quick summary at the end sends the reader home with a more memorable experience of what it was they just read and enjoyed. A decent menu with links to each episode/chapter is also super helpful for readers to navigate through your story.

From a regularity perspective - similar to the above, it is very difficult to captivate your audience if you post very infrequently or if there is no indication of when your next post will follow. It’s not necessarily about how frequently or quickly you publish, but more that you should establish some form of consistency in terms of routine or schedule that suits your blog/life balance and gives readers an expectation of when they can expect future content which will help them to mentally commit to becoming immersed in your save narrative or adventure. Even if they know it will be only one post per month, that reliability and confidence goes a long way in terms of repeat readership and commitment. Blogs may be a one-way street but they are a two-way relationship 😄.


7. Structure, Narrative, Motive

It’s all about the #narrative. As with any content, if there is nothing unique about it, there is nothing special about it. It is very easy to simply narrate a season or save month by month talking about fixtures, results, transfers etc - however if you truly want to make your content stand out and appeal to a wider audience, having an interesting and engaging narrative in your save goes a long way towards how readers will engage with your story. Whether it’s bringing in rules, objectives, storylines, fiction, data, tips & tricks, nostalgia - if you enjoy writing it people will usually enjoy reading it. You are what you eat -> write what you would read.

If views, likes and follows are what you crave then perhaps blogging isn’t for you. Motivation is obviously essential when it comes to FM blogging (as it is in FM playing) however as stated above the nature of blogs is simply that they attract far less numbers and are much harder to get out there. You have to be patient, find your niche, write what you enjoy and enjoy what you write - if a writer can achieve this then it is very much tangible for the reader as they absorb and consume content; the rest will soon follow, so make sure you are in it for the right reasons.


Bonus tip: try not to play too far ahead either - it’s tough to write a season review if you are already halfway through the following one!

8. Something for everyone


It’s important to remember that just because you write a blog on a PC or Laptop doesn’t mean it will be read on one. After writing a masterpiece, you may review and be completely satisfied with the flow and layout in front of you however it is essential that your blog post is suitable for all devices - things such as galleries, columns or tables can look great on a computer but appear very differently on a mobile or tablet so when proof-reading be sure to check how it appears on a tablet or mobile device. You’d be amazed how many people consume content on the go, not to mention the bio-break theory already mentioned above 😄.

Thankfully Wordpress and most other blog platforms allow you to preview how your blog will appear across all versions - if you know you know.


 
 

Bonus tip: the Twitter Wordpress reader is pants and often doesn’t do your blog justice when readers access your blog directly from the Twitter mobile app (often making blogs look quite uniform and generic). It does no harm to include a link to your post at the top of each release which allows readers to access the full-fat original version of your post in the format which you intended it to be displayed.

9. Space, man

Ok, so I might have a snippet of OCD when it comes to layout, neatness, structure and spacing in blogs. As mentioned earlier many blog sites are a law unto themselves in terms of how they present written content, and often they are limited in terms of how they present lines and paragraphs so much so that they simply just pile blocks of text or images on top of eachother making it difficult to read and certainly not easy on the eyes.

Hitting the Enter/Return key usually won’t suffice - most sites require and offer the ability to use spacers in order to have space between paragraphs and images etc, while a lifesaver for me in Wordpress was a small piece of HTML code that can be entered in order to add spaces between blocks as desired (<p>&nbsp;</p>). We are getting into pedantics now, but what would you expect from a blogger?

10. S p E l l i N g

A big shout out to @FM_Grasshopper for the time he kindly informed me it’s spelled “Colombia” and not “Columbia” (stupid outdoor brand). As discussed earlier, if someone is reading your blog it’s likely they read a lot, so there is nothing worse than having spelling or grammar mistakes in your blog which can instantly take away from the quality or enjoyment of the content itself. Spellcheck, Grammarly, a family member - whatever you need in order to ensure there are no mistakes, do it. Our lives have become increasingly reliant on autocorrect however blogs live outside of autocorrect law and therefore require an extra layer of precision and caution when it comes to good diction. Where do you think the word dictionary came from?

There you have it, my 10 tips for Football Manager blogging which had I known at the start of my writing adventures, I would have saved a lot of time and energy having since migrated my website and had to go back over all my posts to correct various mistakes and imperfections mentioned above (I told you, OCD). Hopefully you will find at least one of these to be useful in your own blogging adventures, and of course please feel free to share and/or reach out with any thoughts, feedback or questions if desired (try the comments section if you dare 😄). I take my hat off to all the FM bloggers out there who have been raising the bar each year with the quality and standard of written FM content being produced, so much so that the team at Sports Interactive have kindly invited many of us to contribute our writing to the official Football Manager blog site (The Byline). While FM content continues to improve in quality and popularity across all platforms, there will always be a place for blogging and if you are reading this and thinking of starting your own one, now you have no excuse - as the saying goes, you decide the story.

Thanks for reading, 

MaddFM.

Be sure to follow WeStreamFM on Twitter for reaction to the latest FM21 updates - you can also get involved in the hype by joining the WeStreamFM Discord where you can find hundreds of like minded FM enthusiasts as well as some of your favourite WeStreamFM streamers, bloggers and YouTubers all gearing up for the next edition of the beautiful game.


Dubbed the Next: Episode 2 - Raul

Welcome back for the second installment of this new #WeStreamFM blog series in which we are using Football Manager 2021 to recreate history by carefully selecting past legends of the beautiful game and identifying their modern day counterparts / replicas in the hope that they will become the next big thing in their respective club, league or country.

The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing.

Last week MaddFM kicked off this series by bringing us his version of the next Andrea Pirlo (click here to read Episode 1 if you haven’t already). This week, @MattyLewis11 (aka Steinkelsson) brings us our second installment as he attempts to recreate another absolute worldie of a footballer - former Real Madrid and Spain goal-scoring machine Raul Gonzalez.

 
 

by @MattyLewis11

Welcome to my guest piece for #WeStreamFM as I look to take you on another journey in this Dubbed the Next series in which notable football legends of footballing times gone by are explored and an attempt is made to find their modern day counterpart through the conduit of Football Manager 2021.

In this piece I will explore the individual playing style, traits and attributes of Raúl and identify a player aged 23 or under who we feel justifiably aligns with the all-time Spanish top goal scorer in European League football, a player who was so well renowned for his technical skills, elegance and goal-scoring he was nicknamed “El Ferrari”.

“He was not a 10 out of 10 in anything,” former Madrid defender Fernando Hierro once famously said of his old team-mate. “But he was an eight-and-a-half in everything.”

Many great players came and went during Raúl’s time in Madrid, several of whom were blessed with far greater natural talent than the former Los Blancos’ captain. The Spaniard donned the white shirt of Madrid no fewer than 741 times, spanning the course of three decades, during this period Raúl surpassed the long standing goal-scoring record held by the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano which highlights the players consistent durability and pure goal-scoring natural instinct.

Rewind ⏪

 

Raul Gonzalez - FM09

 

A prolific goal scorer and a highly creative forward, Raúl is regarded as one of the greatest and most consistent strikers of his generation. Wearing the number 7 jersey for most of his club and international career, he was capable of playing anywhere along the front line, although he was primarily deployed as a centre-forward, or as a supporting striker.

In Football Manager terms, Raúl was tireless (Teamwork) and possessed a skill that is sometimes ridiculously discounted as a ‘knack’ of timing his runs (Off The Ball) opportunely and finishing with gluttonous abandon. The forward lacked explosive power with his shooting, but instead he mastered accuracy, dispatching the ball with crisp precision relentlessly (Finishing) as he scored over 20 goals in nine of his 16 seasons for Los Blancos.

Although primarily renowned for prolific goal scoring, Raúl was also a highly creative and hardworking player (Work Rate), he possessed excellent ball control (First Touch) and technical ability (Technique), and was effective in the air as well when needed.

In addition to these characteristics, Raúl is remembered for his leadership and discipline , captaining both club and country and  throughout his extensive career, he never received a red card and was rarely booked in his efforts.

🔎 Technique

🔎 First Touch

🔎 Finishing

🔎 Concentration

🔎 Off The Ball

🔎 Teamwork

🔎 Work Rate

🔎 Spanish

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Well, well, well, can you believe that a winger has ended up top of the list!

I am sure many of you would have expected La Masia academy prospect Ansu Fati to have been the player of choice, especially given the fact that he became the second-youngest player to ever appear for the club and their youngest-ever scorer on his senior debut as a 16-year-old. However the young Spaniard fell significantly behind in both teamwork and work rate, two attributes which I felt were fundamental to Raúl’s game. 

To my surprise Spain don’t seem to have an abundance of out-and-out strikers in the pipeline and players which could potentially be dubbed the new Raúl certainly need a good few years to continue their development before an accurate estimation can be made. These players are Nico Williams of Athletic Club Bilbao, Borja Garces of Atletico Madrid and Jordi Escobar of Almeria.

At 23 years of age, Mikel Oyarzabal is not a perfect or ready-made replica but one very much still in development who could easily be groomed into a quality Striker given the right individual training and development. This statement alone could very well be one which leaves his opposition in fear of what could be to come.

If you haven’t watched Oyarzabal play, don’t let his labelling as a left-forward or midfielder fool you. By no means is he a just a conventional winger. The Spaniard is crafty with the ball at his feet, capable of delivering the killer pass and skilled enough to play centrally or on the wing - what I would call an unorthodox winger, but attributes-wise is certainly capable of adapting or being retrained for a Striker role.

One of the 23-year-old’s best qualities is his movement and space occupation, this may also be significant as to why he’s transitioning into the role of a false nine with his national team. Manager Luis Enrique has made it clear that he sees Oyarzabal’s attacking tendencies along with his movement, shots and touches in the box as unique qualities that would make for an excellent striker or second-striker, it is for this reason paired with his exceptional key attributes that for me make Mikel a player that we will see talked about for many years to come - #WeStreamFM stamp of approval confirmed ☑️.

Thanks for reading, be sure to let us know your thoughts on Twitter, Discord or in the comments below!

@MattyLewis11.

Make sure you check out Matty’s cracking content on his own blog here - if tableau or data analysis is your thing you’re in the right place.

Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to @MaddFM directly.

 

WeStreamFM Save Reveals

 
 

Football Manager 2021 is here! Despite everything 2020 has thrown at us, the team at Sports Interactive have overcome all obstacles to bring another outstanding rendition of the game to our screens and we can now collectively turn our focus to our upcoming save plans for the latest iteration of FM - here is a breakdown of Save Reveals for all the team here at WeStreamFM so that you can keep a close eye on some of your favourite Streamers, Bloggers and YouTubers over the coming months. Let us know which ones you are excited about on Twitter or in the comments below!

Curty

 
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Team: Aston Villa

Save Goal/Idea: To not be sh*t

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Finally winning a Premier League and Champions league title. It WILL happen this year, even if I have to Dave & Reload

📽️ Twitch.tv/Curty

Dave Azzopardi

 
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Team: Wolves

Save Goal/Idea: To win the Premier League and Champions League

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Winning trophies that I've never won before with my own team, buzzing!

▶️ YouTube.com/DaveAzzopardi

📽️ Twitch.com/DaveAzzopardi

Doop

 

Team(s): Man Utd, Red Star, Philadelphia Union, England, TBD

Save Goal/Idea: Achievement Hunter!!

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: That final achievement popping up on the bottom right hand corner of the screen #CompletedItMate

📽️ Twitch.tv/Doop

FridayNightFM

 
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Team: AS Monaco

Save Goal/Idea: Not Moneyball

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Everything

✍️ TheMidfieldQB.com

Herb the Nerd

 
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Team: MK Dons

Save Goal/Idea: Moneyball our way to the Prem 📈

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Using actual spreadsheets alongside the spreadsheet simulator

📽️ Twitch.tv/HerbtheNerd

▶️ YouTube.com/HerbtheNerd

LonghurstLive

 
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Team: The Red Bull Teams

Save Goal/Idea: Win every trophy with them 🏆🏆

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Buying Alphonso Davies on every save possible

📽️ Twitch.tv/LonghurstLive

▶️ YouTube.com/LonghurstLive

MaddFM

 

Team: Angers SCO, France

Save Goal/Idea: Homegrown

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: I know there haven’t been any huge feature releases, however overall it feels like a brand new game and is much quicker - loving it.

✍️ MaddFM.com

ooCLANoo

 
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Team: Various

Save Goal/Idea: The Journeyclan !!

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Never did a Journeyman before

📽️ Twitch.tv/oclanoo

Proudie

 
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Team: Wycombe Wanderers

Save Goal/Idea: Need you ask?

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: Buying a regen for the first time on a save and having him absolutely flop under my management

▶️ Youtube.com/Proudie

Viking Dan

 
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Team: Multiple Various

Save Goal/Idea: North/Central/South American Journeyman

What are you looking forward to most in FM21?: It’s Not FM20

📽️ Twitch.tv/VikingDan

▶️ Youtube.com/VikingDanTV

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