by Louis Bent
Football Manager 2023 has consisted of two main saves for me, my opening one was a typical ‘climbing the ladder’ game where I began with no coaching badges and an unknown reputation at (former) National League North side AFC Telford; the other which is ongoing has been to make Edinburgh City FC the best team in Midlothian.
If you care, my Edinburgh are on the cusp of promotion to the Scottish Premiership, with fellow Lothian team Hearts set to switch places with us amidst their impending relegation. But despite this being my most enjoyable save so far, my Player of the Year comes from my first save.
Beginning at Telford I won back-to-back promotions into League Two before the sharks began to circle, Swansea City approached me and the lure of Championship football became too much for me to handle. I took the job and was almost instantly met with a player who would serve me with distinction for the remainder of my career.
Perhaps surprisingly, this player I would fall in love with operates between the sticks… that’s right - it’s a goalkeeper. Step forward my FM23 Player of the Year - Matthew Davies.
Deemed one of the top prospects in my Swansea academy when I first joined, he caught my eye from the off, with his five-star potential and was already as good as my recommended first-choice, Matthew Cox. So as the youth-encouraging manager I attempt to be, why not chuck him in at the deep end and give him a try.
I gave Davies his second-tier debut against Sunderland and not too soon after he was handed his first Welsh international cap against Armenia in the Euro Qualifiers. After a prosperous campaign in the Championship playing week in and week out, winning promotion via the play-offs, the ‘keeper was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Year award along with the ‘Golden Glove’ for the most clean sheets.
However, after keeping the Swans up in the Premier League but struggling to progress with a low budget, my head was once again turned with me opting to move to European challengers Southampton. But with my scouts giving him such a gleaming report, how could I leave poor Davies behind?
Pros
Is a current international with plenty of experience.
Performs especially well in training and continues to improve.
Ability to safely secure the ball in his hands during pressured situations.
Consistent performer.
Relishes big matches.
Good player for Premier Division sides.
Cons
Can improve short distribution.
Of course, with him having such a good recommendation, we signed him at a snip of £21.5million and we were again reunited., with him set to dominate the number one position for years to come.
Here are some of his key statistics for his first season with me at the Saints:
38 league appearances
43 goals conceded
16 clean sheets (one away from the PL golden glove)
90% pass accuracy
82% of shots saved
And here he is in all his glory, my FM23 Player of the Year - Matthew Davies.
Thanks for reading,
Louis.
This is Louis’ second guest author contribution for 5 Star Potential following his excellent piece on Simplifying Player Roles in Football Manager - drop him a follow on Twitter for more of his FM content and save updates.
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