5 Winter Signings We Are Excited About in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

“The trouble with the transfer window is it creates a window where transfers have to be done.”

Wise words indeed from Gary Neville. I guess he has a point though. Love them or hate them, Transfer Windows are the arguably the most essential and impactful periods in the football calendar given their ability to shape a club’s future and in some cases even a league outcome, and if history has taught us anything - one cannot underestimate the importance of planning ahead, spending wisely and smart recruitment. While many clubs thrive in this area, thankfully many also don’t and the power and influence of the January Transfer Window coupled with the panic and drama of Deadline Day are what makes this time of year so exhilarating and entertaining for football fans all over the world.

 
 

As usual, Football Manager is no different but that largely depends on what kind of Manager you are when it comes to making deals and adding depth and quality to your squad. Some of you may be more strategic and methodical - always looking ahead, building scouting & succession plans and utilising features such as the Squad Planner and Recruitment Focus to ensure you are making the right deals at the right prices for your club. Others (you know who you are) might be a bit less strategic, acting slightly more impulsively or adventurously when it comes to the January Transfer Window (no doubt enjoying the Deadline Day feature in-game), making deals based on player availability, spontaneous opportunities and as always the pursuit of an absolute bargain signing that will tear things up immediately and make you look like the most shrewd of Football Managers out there.

 
 

Whatever your style - it’s a glorious time of year, most importantly because the next data update will arrive with all of the latest transfers updated once all of the various transfer windows have closed (usually around March each year). To get you in the mood, here are 5 January Signings that we are most excited about ahead of the FM23 Winter Update who might just inspire you for your next big Football Manager save adventure.

1 . Oscar Gloukh (Maccabi Tel Aviv to Red Bull Salzburg)

 
 

An Israeli Wonderkid who has already played twice and scored once for his country by the age of 18. What more could we want? Since making his debut for Maccabi Tel Aviv at just 17 years old and going on to bag 7 goals and 4 assists in just 25 games for the club, Oscar Gloukh has been highly coveted by a host of clubs across Europe particularly due to his speed, his 1v1 ability and impressively his two-footedness wherein he is excellent at shifting the ball from one side to another, changing direction quickly and using his low centre of gravity to take on players and retain the ball effectively. It’s no wonder that RB Salzburg were happy to pay €7m to lock in his signature such is their belief in their ability to nurture his talent and help him flourish on a bigger stage.

In FM23, 18-year-old Gloukh is primed and ready as a #10 however can equally be deployed on either flank or in a deeper role if you don’t tend to deploy an AMC as part of your tactical style. His all round attributes are strong for his age, and with a likely bump due in the data update one can easily see him following in the footsteps of previous RB Salzburg Wonderkids to secure a big move if he can prove himself early on in Austria. Safe to say his new club are quite excited by his arrival…

 
 

2. Ilya Zabarnyi (Dinamo Kiev to Bournemouth)

 

How can a man have 22 international caps by the age of 19? Enter Ilya Zabarnyi who remarkably signed for Bournemouth on Deadline Day for a reported €22m after being heavily linked with Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa in recent months. Tall, strong, good in the air while equally confident on the ball and distributing passes from defence, it’s easy to understand why his services commanded such high interest and of course such a high transfer fee - basically a right-footed Sven Botman in this writer’s opinion and it will be interesting to see how quickly he takes to life in the Premier League and how big a part he might play in Bournemouth’s survival hopes.

In FM he is a ready made Centre Half for most Top 5 league clubs, can be deployed in any CB role and at just 19 has all of his best years ahead of him (unlikely they will all be at Bournemouth but who knows!). This is a man you can build a team upon - I smell a new save brewing already, as do his new club by the looks of things 👀.

 
 

3. Andreas Schjelderup (FC Nordsjaelland to Benfica)

“Siri - find me a quick and versatile Scandinavian Wonderkid with excellent technical and mental attributes please”. Needless to say, our search returns Andreas Schjelderup, one of the most talented players to emerge from Denmark in years so much so that Portuguese giants Benfica were happy to fork over €9 million for his signature relatively early in the window before things went wild as is usually the case in January. Since making his Nordsjaelland debut as a 17-year-old he has gone from strength to strength, already doubling his goal tally from last season scoring 10 in 17 games and it’s no wonder Benfica snapped at the chance to bring him into their already hugely impressive youth setup.

In FM23 Schjelderup is one of the top Wonderkids in-game as most of you will have seen in your own saves or across multiple content creator series; bringing him into the Benfics Senior setup usually means only one thing if the paths of Joao Felix, Darwin Nunez and now Enzo Fernandez are anything to go by - do you keep him and build a team around him, or look to sell him on for a potential world record fee? Decisions, decisions, decisions..

 
 

4. Dion Drena Beljo (Osijek to Augsburg)

If you haven’t come across Dion Drena Beljo in FM23 yet then you are doing it wrong. As attainable and affordable Strikers go, the 20-year-old Croatian is a ready made goal machine with excellent Technique, Flair, Finishing and Off the Ball skills and it’s interesting to see that his real-life ability and potential have already been recognised by a progressive club like Augsburg who can give him a platform to test himself against some of the top clubs in Europe. 8 goals in 16 games this season were enough to convince the German club to part with €3m to sign him, made better by him bagging an assist on his debut and fitting in quickly alongside fellow new Croatian David Colina. If you fancy a new save in Germany and want to avoid one of the larger clubs, a trip to Augsburg might be just what the doctor ordered.

 
 

5. Julian Duranville (Anderlecht to Dortmund)

We couldn’t not mention him right? Along with Endrick (who technically signed for Real Madrid before the January Transfer Window), Duranville is arguably one of the best Wonderkids in FM23 and with good reason; explosive from either wing, good technical ability and a direct run-at-opponent mentality, Duranville rapidly proved to be a handful for opposition defenders in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League and recently bagged his first goal for the club just 6 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against Oud-Heverlee Leuvenat. Enter Borussia Dortmund. The “Wonderkid Factory” as FridayNightFM calls it and with good reason - Dortmund have an incredible track record and pedigree in nurturing and developing talent and it’s likely that Duranville will be the next big player to shine in front of the Yellow Wall in Germany.

In FM23, Duranville is the proverbial Wonderkid and has already risen to stardom in thousands of saves prior to his IRL move to Dortmund - the only way is up for the young Belgian, the question is will Dortmund rise with him and finally ascend themselves to compete with Bayern? If not, it’s likely history will continue to repeat itself with their best assets annually moving on to bigger & better things..make it stop, please.

 
 

There we have it! 5 Wonderkids who have made big moves in the recent Winter Transfer Window that we look forward to seeing in action for their new clubs in the near future - no Wonderkid is safe anymore and they are getting snapped up earlier and earlier each year, but as we all know..we knew about them first 😉.

 
 

Thanks for reading - see you for more transfer madness next Summer 👋.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 

Wonderkid Watch - Arda Güler

 
 

by MaddFM

In 2005 I was “studying” in university. I say “studying” because the majority of that year was spent playing Football Manager 2005 chasing notable wonderkids such as Anthony Vanden Borre, Carlos Tevez, Fredy Guarin, Vagner Love and of course DC United and Football Manager’s most famous ever youth produce, that man Freddy Adu. Little did I know that in February of the same year, a new wonderkid had just entered the world in the Turkish Capital of Ankara, and that 17 years on he would already be banging it on the big stage for both club and country..that Wonderkid is of course Arda Güler, the youngest goalscorer in Turkish Super League history who is currently (but likely not for long) on the books at 19-time Turkish Champions Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü.

 

Güler signs for Fenerbahçe

 

After impressing in the academy of Gençlerbirliği in the Turkish second tier having joined at age 9, Güler signed for Fenerbahçe when he turned 14 and has rapidly progressed through the ranks at Sarı Kanaryalar (the “Yellow Canaries”), starting immediately in the U16 team before progressing to the U19 side at age 16 and making his Senior debut just a few months later in their Europa League group game against Finnish side HJK. By the time he turned 17 he had become the Turkish Super League’s youngest ever goalscorer, and he finished the season with 3 goals and 4 assists which instantly caught the eye of a number of high-profile European clubs as well as earning Güler his first international cap for Turkey in a 2-1 friendly win over Czech Republic - becoming the youngest player to do so since Nuri Sahin in 2005.

 

International debut for Turkey at age 17

 

Casually dubbed “The Turkish Messi”, one would hope that fans and media won’t put too much pressure such a young player so early in his career - that said, early comparisons to a young Mesut Özil are understandable looking at Güler’s technical ability, confidence on the ball, creative vision and his versatility being equally able to play out wide or in the middle of the park (also helps that he is left-sided). Under Jorge Jesus this season he has often found himself deployed on the right side of their attacking midfield block wherein he has a natural tendency to cut inside on his favoured left foot - his rapid pace, dribbling ability, low centre of gravity and quick feet causing all kinds of problems for opposition full backs (clearly as you will see below).

 
 

Güler plays with a confidence and arrogance that most players usually don’t show until they are in their prime mid-late twenties - effectively taunting players with his skill and tricks while also showing no fear in dropping deep to get on the ball, taking players on, shielding the ball, riding tackles and thriving in congested areas & getting out of trouble. This season he is already close to matching his goal contributions from last season, impressive considering most of his appearances have been off the bench; it’s no surprise that his explosiveness and ability to change a game instantly have attracted interest from a host of top European clubs most notably Arsenal and Benfica, the latter of whom we know have a history of producing and developing outstanding talent and more often than not selling on for exorbitant transfer fees..

 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

In Football Manager 2023, Güler starts out as a 17-year-old attacking midfielder already showing outstanding mental and technical skills hence the early valuation of €10m-€12m. While the SI researchers have him penned as an AMC which also probably explains his slightly lower Pace and Acceleration numbers - his form for Fenerbahçe will likely see him get an attributes boost in the next data update, which has often been the case for Wonderkids gone by once their real-life ability and potential becomes more evident and somewhat overtakes their in-game profile. That said - even in the original database, his Technique, Flair, First Touch, Passing, Vision, Crossing and Finishing are already outrageous for a 17-year-old, and if we combine these with 16 Determination and a Resolute personality - Güler is primed and ready to be trained and developed for greatness in almost any attacking role depending on your needs and tactical insight (just keep an eye on that Decision-making attribute which has also been highlighted as an IRL opportunity area). Personally the idea of a left-sided Centre Midfielder on Attack duty makes for very interesting tactical masterminding but of course, each to their own..👀.

 
 

In my own save by the year 2026, Güler has just sealed a January move to Liverpool at age 20 and it’s easy to see why - if the Fenerbahçe AI Manager can develop him this far in FM, just think what you might be able to do with him if you are lucky enough to secure his services..18 months left on his contract at the start of FM23 won’t do your chances any harm 😉

 
 

Speaking of technicals…well, it’s no wonder UEFA have him listed as one of their Players to Watch in 2023 and with good reason…

 
 

Sign..Him..Up..💫


Thanks for reading - let us know if you have any Wonderkids you would like us to cover or if you are interested in profiling any specific players for our Wonderkid Watch series, you can drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

Wonderkid Watch - Maurice Krattenmacher

 
 

by MaddFM.

The year is 2005. José Mourinho has just won his first of two back-to-back Premier League titles with Chelsea; Liverpool are crowned Champions of Europe after a thrilling penalty shootout victory over Milan following an incredible 3-goal comeback in Istanbul; Patrick Vieira is on the cover of Fifa alongside Fernando Morientes and Andriy Shevchenko, while Graeme Souness is the current manager of Newcastle United. What times we lived in.

Maurice Krattenmacher was born on the 11th of August that year, the same year in which fellow wonderkids Mathys Tel, Desiré Doué, Paul Wanner, Bobby Clark, Issac Babadi and Jobe Bellingham also entered the world meaning all are now around the 17/18 year old mark and are primed and ready to be scouted and signed in Football Manager 2023.

 

A young Krattenmacher at Unterhaching

 

Today our focus is on Krattenmacher - largely based on the fact that he is a raw gem that we unearthed in my HFC Haarlem Globetrotters save and also that he is emerging as both an FM and real-life wonderkid following his recent exploits for SpVgg Unterhaching in the Regionalliga Bayern which is one of the five Regionalliga leagues in Germany that collectively make up the fourth tier of the German football league. Let’s take a closer look…

 
 

Following a very similar path to Karim Adeyemi, Krattenmacher began his youth career on the books at Bayern Munich before moving on to neighbours Unterhaching whose last spell in the Bundesliga was all the way back in 2001. Quick, confident on the ball and showing early signs of being both an excellent dribbler and distributor of the ball as well as an instinctive finisher - he is capable of playing anywhere up front or across the Attacking Midfield strata, and has quickly shown his worth in the U17 Bundesliga, scoring 23 goals in 20 games and earning a place in Germany’s U17 squad where he scored on his first start against San Marino and has since racked up 8 caps, 2 goals and 2 assists for the national youth team.

 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

In Football Manager 2023, Krattenmacher starts the game as a 16-year-old in the Underhaching U19 squad, and immediately we can see his ability and potential based on the attributes already given to him by the SI researchers, no doubt his impressive form for club and country last season played a big factor here. What’s really intriguing is that looking at his attributes and his role ability - he can be trained into almost any attacking role depending on your needs and where you think you can develop him to be most effective. More importantly - given the reputation and level of his club, his estimated value (€180k - €550k) and the fact that he is only contracted to Underhaching in-game until 2024, he is very much attainable for most decent sized clubs without having to worry about interest or breaking the bank for his signature.

 
 

The FM Gods are already dubbing him the “next Mesut Özil” which is never a bad sign, however early signs indicate that he will be very adept as a left-sided forward cutting in on his favoured right foot:

 
 

In my own save in the 2nd Tier of Dutch football, we had already had some success in sourcing players from the lower tiers of Germany and after dispatching one of our scouts to explore the leagues in more detail, we received one hell of an inbox item which first alerted me of 18-year-old Krattenmacher’s existence:

 
 

By 2024 he had already moved on to Aalen in the Regionalliga Südwest, racking up 20 goals and 4 assists from 34 games in his first season - it’s no surprise that Dortmund were showing an interest and having just sold Che Nunnely for €1.5m (whom we signed on a free at the start of the save), we needed to move quick before Dortmund could swoop in.

 

A wanted man..

 

A bid of €400k up front plus €400k over 3 annual installments is accepted and after some tricky negotiations which we sealed with some very generous goal and assist bonuses, Krattenmacher becomes our record signing and immediately we set about training him as an Inside Forward (Left) to compliment our lone Striker and Right Winger as part of a 4-3-3 formation, as well as adding additional Player Trait training for him to Cut Inside from the Left Wing. 

 
 

We give the lad his debut in our opening league game against Top OSS. Now I’m not one to get carried away easily, however after just 4 minutes we see him win the ball back on the left hand side, find a pass, continue his run and then this happens…

 
 

Absolute poetry as we go on to win the game 4-2 with Krattenmacher also picking up an assist and an 8.4 average rating. He goes on to score in his next game as well, and whether it’s his ability, the fact that he is probably too good for this level or the fact that we gave him that lovely goal contribution contract clause - within a few months we receive this notification in our inbox..ITS ONLY JANUARY 🔥.

 
 

By the end of the season Krattenmacher finishes with 16 goals and 13 assists from 37 league appearances, not only finishing as the Top Assist provider in the league but also helping us to finish in 2nd place and gain promotion to the Eredivisie. WHAT A PLAYER.

 
 

At the beginning of Season 3 and our first foray into top division football, Krattenmacher (now age 20) has gone from strength to strength and it’s no wonder we turned down measly €3m and €4m bids from Bayern and Milan for his services. 

 
 
 
 

Now valued between €13.5 and €15 million, he is wanted by some serious teams and we will do well to hold on to him..it’s no surprise that the lad is heavily linked with a big move in real life having already bagged 4 goals and 4 assists in 16 games for the Underhaching Senior Squad this season - and still only 17 years old! Not only did our friends over at Scouted Football already namedrop him recently based on his FM profile - rumours are that both Bundesliga giants Bayern and Dortmund are in the hunt for his signature, which means he may not be as easily attainable for long in FM23 if a move transpires before the next data update. You better move quick, this is one not to be missed ☝️.

 
 

Thanks for reading.


Share your thoughts below! Let us know if you have any Wonderkids you would like us to cover or if you are interested in profiling any specific players for our Wonderkid Watch series - you can drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

5 Clubs That Need Your Help in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

Myth #1: You need to manage a lower league team or manage in an obscure nation in order to have an interesting Football Manager save.

Myth #2: Managing a “big” club in a Top 5 league is too easy in Football Manager.

“The simplest solution is almost always the best one”. Occam’s razor - life doesn’t have to be too complicated, and often the best way forward is the simplest. The same can be said when it comes to choosing a Football Manager save; many of us spend hours pondering over the most random of leagues and save ideas in order to find something unique and engaging, when often the simplest thing to do is to take a quick look around the leagues for a club who are underperforming or who find themselves in a predicament of sorts - maybe they have financial difficulties, have sacked their manager, lost a key player or have even already been relegated. 

Whatever it may be - if you are struggling to find a new save that you can easily get into and become absorbed in quickly, here are 5 clubs that are currently struggling in real life and/or are in need of urgent assistance at this stage of the season and therefore offer a highly intriguing proposition for your next Football Manager save.

1. Sevilla (La Liga)

Last Season: 4th

Media Prediction: 4th

Current Position (Jan ‘23): 17th

 
 

After finishing in 4th place for the 3rd consecutive season in La Liga, Manager Julen Lopetegui must have been confident of building on Sevilla’s consistent league form particularly having added the likes of Isco, Adnan Januzaj, Alex Telles and Tanguy Nianzou to a squad already boasting World Cup winners Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuna and Papu Gomez, Moroccan World Cup heroes Bono and Youssef El-Nesryi as well as the likes of Ivan Rakitić and Jesús Corona. What he probably didn’t expect however, was the loss and immediate negative impact of the sales of both first-choice centre-backs with Jules Koundé and Diego Carlos leaving for Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively, and this upheaval saw Sevilla open their season with zero points from their first 4 games and led to Lopetegui losing his job by October with the club in 17th place in La Liga, and the board turning to former Sevilla legend Jorge Sampaoli in the hope of rescue and a turn in the club’s fortunes.

Fast forward to January and things aren’t much better. Sevilla are still 17th in La Liga following disappointing defeats against Vallecano and Sociedad as well as draws with Betis and Celta Vigo, and there are little signs of any major turnaround in performance and results which means the club are in real danger of missing out on European football for the first time since the 2012/2013 season. For a club with the most Europa League titles in history (6) this would indeed be a travesty - perfect timing for you to take the reins and see if you can become the saviour of Seville in FM23.

 
 

2. Leverkusen (Bundesliga)

Last Season: 3rd

Media Prediction: 4th

Current Position (Jan ‘23): 12th

 

An under-managed club in Football Manager in this author’s opinion. 20 years ago Leverkusen were narrowly defeated in the 2002 Champions League Final, wherein a side led by a prime Michael Ballack nearly overcame the likes of Fernando Hierro, Roberto Carlos, Claude Makelele, Zinedine Zidane, Raul and the might of the Real Madrid Galacticos only to lose 2-1 after an epic battle in Glasgow. That said, they have failed to reach anywhere close to those heights again since, peaking in a 2nd place Bundesliga finish in 2011 and since gradually declining and allowing the likes of Dortmund and RBL to overtake cement themselves as the best of the rest in Germany behind Bayern Munich. 

Fast forward to the present day and Xabi Alonso has recently taken the reins following the removal of Gerard Sleone and while things have slightly improved and stabilised, they remain in 12th place at the time of writing, 10 points outside the Top 4 and after some embarassing results earlier in the season (losing 3-0 to Hoffenheim, 4-0 to Bayern, 5-1 to Frankfurt and of course that ignominious 3-0 collapse at Porto in the Champions League to throw away a 2 goal lead from the first leg) - things definitely aren’t going according to plan for what is an incredibly talented side boasting the likes of Moussa Diaby, Patrik Schick, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong as well as new signings Adam Hložek and Callum Hudson-Odoi. The question is do we trust Xabi Alonso to get them ticking or is an FM23 intervention needed - sometimes if you want something done right you have to do it yourself.

 
 

3. Nice (Ligue 1)

Last Season: 5th

Media Prediction: 6th

Current Position (Jan ‘23): 11th

There are no excuses; this team should be doing far better than they have been in recent years considering the money spent and individual talent on show in the South of France. Having reached a peak of 3rd position in 2017, they have been highly inconsistent in terms of league form since and slumped as far as 9th in 2021 - made even worse by the fact that they have spent upwards of €250m on transfers in the same period.

At the time of writing Nice sit in 11th place in the league, a massive 21 points behind PSG and in real danger of missing out on a European place with the likes of Lens, Lorient and Clermont Foot all out performing them on far inferior budgets. Having focused on signing younger players previously (e.g. Amine Gouiri, Kasper Dolberg, Calvin Stengs etc) it feels like they have attempted to balance this with the additions of Kasper Schmeichel, Aaron Ramsey and Ross Barkley, however despite returning to former Manager and fan-favourite Lucien Favre, progress has been slow and at some point we may need to say enough is enough - the likes of Todibo, Thuram and Delort deserve better and surely won’t hang around for long.

 
 

4. Everton (Premier League)

Last Season: 16th

Media Prediction: 16th

Current Position (Jan ‘23): 18th

Debatable whether it’s Chelsea or Everton that are in more need of rescue at the time of writing, however the situation has become so perilous at Goodison Park that they are again in real danger of relegation - made all the more hazardous by the fact that they have never been relegated in Premier League history and are one of only 6 teams that have been ever-present in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The good times of consistent 4th/5th place finishes under David Moyes are almost a forgotten memory despite only being 10 years ago, such has been Everton’s persistent downfall over the past decade.

A media prediction of 16th is far too low for a club like Everton let alone their current 18th place standing. The general consensus is that Everton have spent big but invested incredibly poorly since being taken over by Farhad Moshiri in 2016 and the result is a squad that is clearly struggling to compete in the Premier League under Frank Lampard - with the latter being the current favourite to be the next manager sacked, now is the time to see if you can get a tune out of the likes of Dwight McNeil, Anthony Gordon, Domenic Calvert-Lewin and Alex Iwobi. Survive one season and perhaps you can invest far more smartly than the club have proven thus far.

 
 

5. Fiorentina (Serie A)

Last Season: 7th

Media Prediction: 8th

Current Position (Jan ‘23): 9th

Fun fact #1: The highest Fiorentina have finished in Serie A in the last 40 years is 3rd.

Fun fact #2: They haven’t finished above 4th for more than 20 years, in 1999 courtesy of 26 league goals from one Gabriel Batistuta.

Fun fact #3: The last time Fiorentina won a Scudetto title was before man walked on the moon (2 months beforehand to be precise).

If we ever needed an excuse to visit Florence, this is it. While you could argue they aren’t in that much peril sitting 9th in Serie A at the time of writing - a club of this size and stature deserves far more than being 20 points off the top and looking more and more unlikely to qualify for European football this season. The big danger here is that Fiorentina continue to remain static while clubs around them (Lazio, Atalanta, Udinese etc) continue to improve year-on-year - however with a squad that can boast the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Jonathan Ikoné and Nicolás González as well as FM favourites Nikola Milenkovic and Gaetano Castrovilli, there is no reason why they can’t compete for European football and build from there - aiming to compete with the top teams in Italy rather than having to sell on their best players as has been the case previously with the likes of Vlahovic, Chiesa and Cuadrado. This save is ready.

 
 

There you have it - 5 clubs who have been struggling and/or are in desperate need of a saviour. If you have reached that point in FM23 where you are in need of a new club or are struggling to commit permanently to a new save then hopefully this has given you some inspiration or appetite to get back on the proverbial FM horse. As the saying goes - “Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right”; let us know if this has whetted your appetite either on Twitter or in the comments below, we may even discuss some of these on the pod in the coming weeks 👌.

Thanks for reading.


Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 

10 Players to Retrain in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

A while back I wrote an article for Football Manager’s The Byline which focuses on Retraining Player Positions in FM and how best to go about introducing players to a new position or role and implementing as quickly and as smoothly as possible. 

The premise is that players don’t always have to be “Natural” or “Accomplished” when it comes to positions and players roles in FM, meaning that if a player possesses the right attributes and characteristics then they can be retrained to play a certain role and deployed there very effectively, giving you additional depth and flexibility across various roles in your tactical setup as well as allowing you to be a bit more nimble and shrewd when it comes to filling gaps in your squad (as retraining an existing player can often prevent you from having to spend funds on a new one for that role).

Back in the days of Championship Manager it was common to see players with slightly more unusual versatility and ability to play in multiple dissimilar roles - namely players with the ability to play at Centre-Back or Centre-Forward as was often the case when “big meaty men” were often the player of choice and these profiles had often grown up playing in both roles due to their size and strength on the field.

 
 

CM Heritage

Since then we have seen a gradual shift towards retraining players once they reach the latter stages of their careers wherein they may no longer be as effective in more attacking roles that require pace and stamina etc, but can still contribute heavily further back the pitch using their ability, experience and read of the game to successfully transform into a new role - examples of this have included the likes of Ashley Young, Febian Delph, Antonio Valencia, James Milner, Victor Moses all of whom spent much of their careers in more advanced roles before being deployed as full-backs or wing-backs accordingly.

In contrast to this - there are of course occasions where a player has simply been deployed in the wrong position all along and a position change is needed to actually unlock their ability and potential as was clearly evident with the likes of Philipp Lahm, Gareth Barry, Joshua Kimmich and Gareth Bale who all went on to play their best football following a role change.The same can be said even now in modern day football where the likes of Joelinton and more recently Alex Iwobi, both of whom initially started out as Forwards/Wide Players and have since been coached and retrained into highly effective Box-to-Box Midfielders for Newcastle and Everton respectively.

So what does all of this mean? As “Football Managers”, it’s essential to be able to diagnose and understand what and where a player’s best role may be, and that this is not necessarily always the more obvious or most evident role as recommended in-game. If you find you have a player who appears to be largely ineffective in a role or you have a specific gap to fill within your squad and tactical setup, it can be highly beneficial and rewarding to look in-house at these players to assess if there is potential to retrain them in order to both maximise their impact and contribution to your squad, as well as providing some much needed cover or competition for a particular role or position.

Based on this, here are 10 players that could be successfully retrained into a completely new role in Football Manager based on their in-game attributes and characteristics - not to say that these players are not effective in their natural or normal roles currently, but rather they may be better suited in another role based on these attributes and/or can offer a somewhat unexpected solution or outcome upon being retrained in said role thereafter. All I’ll say is..please keep an open mind, won’t you? 😏.

1. Kevin Volland (Monaco)

 

Current Role (Pressing Forward): While Volland possesses the Determination, Stamina, Fitness and Work Rate to be an effective Pressing Forward, it’s unlikely you will see much from him in terms of goal return. Relatively low in terms of Finishing, Composure, First Touch, Technique and Decisions, it’s hard to see any real form of goalscoring instinct which is somewhat replicated in his goal scoring record for club and country and one feels that deploying him in a forward position is slightly wasteful when might be better suited using a player with better predatory instincts and natural goal scoring ability.

Proposed Role (Box-to-Box Midfielder): The attributes we mentioned above as his strengths while not much help in terms of goal contributions are most certainly assets to a BBM role, wherein you need that player who never seems to stop running, pushing forward on attack and harassing opposition players in possession while also working back when under pressure and closing down/protecting his back line accordingly. Volland has all the Physical and Mental attributes to perform this role (did we mention Aggression 18?) and when you add that he has 14 Passing, 14 Vision and 14 Dribbling, there’s little doubt that he can slot into a midfield duo or diamond and more than hold his own both defensively and in attack. 

2. Pablo Fornals (West Ham)

Current Role (Attacking Midfielder Left/Centre): At 26 Fornals has plenty of football left him, however in terms of Physical and Technical attributes (in FM terms at least) it’s fair to stay that he lacks any real star quality to make a big impact in the Attacking Midfield strata, particularly if you are looking for game-changing moments and that extra layer of dominance in the match engine either on or off the ball where he is unlikely to beat players for pace and may be easily dispossessed in a crowded midfield.

Proposed Role (Inverted Wing-Back Right): Picture it - a player with all-round good Technique, First Touch, Vision, Passing and Flair cutting inside from a wide full-back or wing-back position while also having the necessary defensive attributes (Anticipation, Tackling, Positioning, Stamina and Work Rate) to operate in a defensive role - giving you options on the attack where he will support and contribute towards ball progression and creativity, while also covering for the player ahead of him and defending whenever needed. I like this one a lot.

3. Aymeric Laporte (Man City)

Current Role (Ball Playing Defender): There’s little to criticise of Aymeric Laporte as a Ball Playing Defender, as he clearly does possess the defensive, mental and technical attributes needed to operate successfully in this role (and has proven so quite effectively in real life). However in a world where Man City are blessed at Centre-Back (Dias and Stones are powerful in FM23 to say the least) and where City could occasionally find themselves short in the creativity department at Centre Midfield (with Gundogan ageing slowly, Rodri/Phillips on the more defensive side of the spectrum) and if you are reluctant to pull back one of KDB or Bernardo Silva, then Laporte might just be a viable option.

Proposed Role (Deep Lying Playmaker): The mind goes straight to Deep Lying Playmaker with a Defend mentality here. Operating in the space between defence and midfield, holding position, breaking down play when needed and then initiating/unlocking attacking moves or counter attacks through creative pinpoint passes - Laporte can do all of this, full stop.

4. Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)

Current Role (Attacking Midfielder Left / Striker Centre): Having scored over double figures in each of his last five league seasons, Oyarzabal has proven himself to be a crucial element of Real Sociedad’s recent ascent in La Liga and has frequently featured for Spain either as a Striker or Attacking Midfielder in recent years - such is his stature in Spain over the past few seasons that he is arguably one of the most all-round attacking players in Football Manager this year with every single one of his attributes above 12 which is mostly unheard of in FM databases. That said - his main high scoring attributes mostly fall under his Mental ability, and a slight lack of speed means that at 25 (and unlikely to get any quicker) he may also find himself being outpaced by speedy full-backs or wing-backs similar to Pablo Fornals above. 

Proposed Role (Inverted Wing Back Left): Though capable of playing in all forward roles in FM, surprisingly the boy can also contribute defensively with good Decisions, Anticipation, Positioning, Tackling and Work Rate - meaning that in a system which seeks to capitalise on talented wing-backs and relies on them for ball-progression and chance creation, Oyarzabal would add a ridiculous amount of quality that very few wing-backs in-game possess - did someone say break the match engine?

5. Tomáš Souček (West Ham)

Current Role (BWM/B2B Midfielder): Equally effective either as a Ball Winning or Box-to-Box Midfielder, Souček has all the attributes to be an absolute battering ram of a centre midfielder in Football Manager with outstanding figures across the majority of his Physical, Mental and Technical attributes. He has become a pivotal force of West Ham’s midfield alongside Declan Rice, enjoys a scrap and is one of those players who will nearly guarantee you 90 minutes at top gear in every game he plays..but can he do more?

Proposed Role (Pressing Forward): Let’s not forget that Souček scored 10 goals in his first full season at West Ham, and though he is primarily a more defensive player in-game his attributes suggest there may be more to his game than being a beast in the middle of the park. His exceptionally high Stamina, Work Rate and Natural Fitness, his Marking and Tackling combined with his Finishing, Off the Ball and Composure mean that he would work very well as a Pressing Forward - closing down opposition defenders and loose balls and more than capable of shooting and finishing in and around the box when the opportunity itself. Still only 27, a few months of training in the role could well have a big impact in a West Ham side that can always do with an extra layer of attacking threat when it comes to goal contributions. Get it done.

6. Marcos Alonso (Barcelona)

Current Role (Left-Wing Back): Alonso gets a lot of flack as a Left-Wing Back and some sub-par performances for Chelsea last season have definitely put his ability and status in the team under the microscope by fans and journalists alike. Though he managed to secure a move to Barcelona, the reality is that while he is commonly hailed for his attacking contribution, defensively he is seen as a liability (somewhat akin to TAA at Liverpool) and although he has decent defensive attributes in FM23, it might be time to accept that Alonso simply isn’t a good enough defender for elite level and therefore a new role is needed for his skillset.

Proposed Role (Attacking Midfielder Centre): What do David Silva, Mesut Özil and Juan Mata all have in common? All were of course elite Number 10’s during their prime and all have picked up honours at the highest level of football. More specifically though - all were left footed #10’s giving them a slightly more unique proposition as AMCs, and looking at Marcos Alonso one could argue that he can more than do a job in this role based on his all round attributes - physically, mentally and technically strong which means he shouldn’t be hugely difficult to retrain. We wouldn’t expect him to be a #10 for Barcelona, but with his contract up at the end of the first season in FM23, he could prove to be a shrewd and versatile signing for the right club at the right level.

7. Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)

Current Role (Attacking Midfielder/Forward Right): At 30 years old Ayew is not as quick as he used to be however still offers a decent attacking threat with good Off the Ball, Dribbling and First Touch as well as good Stamina, Work Rate and Determination. In-game however he arguably lacks the required Vision, Technique, Flair and Finishing needed for a highly impactful Wide Player or Forward, however that’s not to say he couldn’t do a job elsewhere…

Proposed Role (Right Wing-Back): Interestingly Ayew has 14 Tackling, 13 Anticipation and 14 Acceleration which are all required attributes for a good wing-back - combine this with relatively good Positioning & Marking and the aforementioned Attacking and Physical/Mental attributes and we could be looking at a very effective wing-back in this match engine, wherein you would expect him to bomb up and down the right-flank offering a tricky attacking threat for opposition full-backs while also having the required Work Rate and Stamina to track back and defend when needed. While he probably won’t displace Tariq Lamptey at RWB for Ghana, he definitely presents an interesting option for a mid-level club favouring attacking wing-backs as part of your tactical style.

8. Kostas Tsimikas (Liverpool)

Current Role (Left-Wing Back): Widely regarded as the “best backup left-back in the Premier League”, it’s unfortunate that Tsimikas has to compete with one of the best in the world for his position in Andy Robertson and as such he finds first-team opportunities limited at Liverpool. That doesn’t take away from how highly rated he is by the FM researchers, with a very strong set of all round attributes and at 26 years old, still very much with his best football ahead of him..does it have to be at Left-Back though?

Proposed Role (Mezzala): Tsimikas has excellent technical attributes in-game and these need to be more utilised; I toyed with the idea of him as a Segundo Volante or Deep-Lying Playmaker, however when you look at the description of a Mezzala in Football Manager “a central player that likes to drift wide and operate in the half spaces…essentially a central/half-winger who likes to do his defending slightly further up the field” - I can’t move away from the idea of Tsimikas in this role; his physical and defensive attributes give him what most players might lack in this role, while his ability as a midfield technician (Passing 15, Technique 15, Dribbling 15, First Touch 15) mean he can link play and fashion chances for those around him particularly if he finds space which is key for a Mezzala. The lad can cross too, meaning he will be highly effective either centrally or when he finds himself out wide - I am here for this one.

9. Robin Gosens (Inter)

Current Role (Left-Wing Back): There’s not much to say here - Gosens is an exceptional player and was a critical part of Atalanta’s recent resurgence in Serie A wherein he and Joakim Mæhle were given express runway to attack at will from wing-back positions and primarily focus on attacking rather than defensive duties. Such was his impact that he has become a mainstay in the German national side (only getting his first cap in 2020 at the age of 25), and he has since earned himself a move to Inter who clearly also favour attacking wing-backs with Gosens and Denzel Dumfries both as attack-minded as you’ll find in a wing-back. I have other ideas for Gosens though..

Proposed Role (Advanced Forward):  If I was to say 16 Pace, 17 Off the Ball, 15 Finishing and 14 Composure you would assume I’m talking about a Striker right? The man is a Left-Back! A bit of retraining and I have to think that FM defenders wouldn’t know what to do with Gosens, wherein you’d expect him to make runs off the ball, hassle defenders, look for balls to feet and ultimately end up finishing frequently on his favoured left foot - at 6’0” tall there are Robin Van Persie vibes all over this one.. 🔥.

10. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Current Role (Striker): Though not usually known for his goal scoring ability, Firmino is one of the most effective and hard-to-mark strikers in European football and one would argue that the uniqueness of his role and style while highly valued at Liverpool is one of the main reasons he was omitted from Brazil’s recent World Cup squad. Overall he is physically, mentally and technically exceptional in-game but his low Finishing (11) is definitely problematic in-game..

Proposed Role (Wide Centre-Back): Ok ok, hear me out. I know this sounds crazy but let’s take a closer look..in FM the Wide Centre-Back is “encouraged to stay wide in possession and support the midfield”, and when set to Attack duty “is willing to make regular overlapping and underlapping runs to create 2 vs 1 situations, and also has a higher tendency to dribble with the ball”. Firmino has outstanding Fitness, Stamina and Work Rate to make these runs; his ridiculous Technique, First Touch and Composure (18, 17 and 17 respectively) make him comfortable on the ball while defensively his Anticipation (15), Balance (17), Marking (13), Positioning (13) and Tackling (12) make him well able to handle both the defensive and offensive responsibilities of the Wide Centre-Back role. He is decent in the air at 5’11” and should he be retrained effectively alongside the right defensive partner(s), I reckon we have a very interesting proposition on our hands that again could either make or break the match engine 🙃.

There we have it. 10 players who could (arguably) be retrained into a completely new role in Football Manager - some slightly more wild than others, but overall the idea of retraining players in-game is a sound concept and in this writer’s opinion an underrated/underutilised function in FM. Have you tried it yourself? Tell us your experiences either on Twitter or in the comments below - how crazy is the idea of Firmino at Centre-Half? 😄. 

Thanks for reading.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 

6 Players Who Deserve a Big Move After WC22

 

by MaddFM.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. While we shouldn’t shy away from the humanitarian and ethical issues surrounding FIFA’s decision to host this year’s World Cup in Qatar (here’s hoping some valuable lessons have been learned), one can’t take away from some of the outstanding individual and team efforts on display in this year’s tournament, particularly looking at performances across the younger generation of players in action. Coming into the World Cup, all eyes were on the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Pedri/Gavi, Vinicius Jr and of course that man Kylian Mbappé and rightly so as almost all of them delivered elite performances at various stages of this year’s tournament. The same can be said for likes of Joško Gvardiol, Enzo Fernandez, Mohammed Kudus, Gonçalo Ramos, Julian Alvarez, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Bukayo Saka all of whom are of course already well-known outstanding players for their respective clubs and domestic leagues and as such and are no strangers to most of us in the Football Manager community.

That said, a good World Cup usually brings about a few surprises in terms of players who shine for their nations in tournament football to absolutely rise to the occasion somewhat unexpectedly, and this year was no different as we saw a number outstanding individual efforts from some more unexpected names who as a result have done more than enough to earn a big move off the back of their World Cup exploits.

Here are 6 Players who deserve a big-money move following their performances in World Cup 2022.

1. Jakub Kiwior (Spezia/Poland)

Age: 22 

Position: Defender (Left/Centre)

Value: €9.2m to €14m

Contract Expiry: 30/06/2025

Already linked with moves to the likes of Roma, Milan, Juventus and Tottenham, 22-year-old Jakub Kiwior was a shining light in a somewhat disappointing Poland side who despite reaching the Last 16 will look back in regret at some of their performances in this year’s tournament. Ranking among the top defenders for Tackles and Clearances made, Kiwior is a hot commodity as left-sided centre-halves tend to be, and in FM23 we can see the makings of a strong reliable defender for most mid-tier clubs, likely raising to top-tier should he get an attributes boost in the next data update following his performances in Qatar. In his last three transfer moves his value went from €10k to €250k to €2.2m - expect to pay double figures at a minimum if you wish to avail of his services 👌.

2. Stephen Eustáquio (Porto/Canada)

Age: 25

Position: Midfielder (Centre)

Value: €21m - €30m

Contract Expiry: 30/06/2027

While you could argue Eustáquio already had a big move when he joined FC Porto from Paços de Ferreira 18 months back, the €3.5m transfer fee looks like excellent value for money if his performances for Canada are anything to go by (not to mention his in-game value). While they somehow managed to pick up zero points despite some excellent performances in the group stages, Eustáquio was a shining light alongside Alphonso Davies and he continually offered a creative outlet for Canada - confident on the ball, linking up play, recycling possession and leading the central midfield strata for the Canadians. In FM23 he looks to be a quality playmaker with solid all round physical, mental and technical attributes - definitely potential for a move to a bigger side where he could more than do a job for many of the elite clubs in Europe. 

3. Azzedine Ounahi (Angers/Morocco)

Age: 22

Position: Midfielder (Centre)

Value: €8m to €12m

Contract Expiry: 30/06/2026

With the exception of Enzo Fernandez, you could argue that 22-year-old Azzedine Ounahi was the best young player of the 2022 World Cup as well as being one of the driving forces behind Morocco’s incredible journey to the Semi-Finals. Featuring in all 7 games, averaging 41 passes per 90 minutes with an both an 83% passing accuracy and successful dribbling rate - this is a player with a huge future ahead of him especially when you consider that 4 of those 7 games came against Belgium, Spain, Portugal and France. The fact that he is at Angers (a club very close to my heart since FM21) is an added bonus having joined them in 2021 and with a value between €8m and €12m at the start of FM23 (and surely due an upgrade in the next update) - he looks a tasty versatile midfield option who will surely be at a bigger club by the time FM24 comes around.

4. Dominik Livaković (Dinamo/Croatia)

Age: 27

Position: Goalkeeper

Value: €13m to €19.5m

Contract Expiry: 15/06/2024

How is this man still playing his football in Croatia - no disrespect to the Croatian league of course, but while many football observers witnessed Livakovic’s ability for the first time in World Cup 2022, we’ve known about him for some time now in the Football Manager community and he has been a go-to keeper for the past few versions of FM based on his availability and star quality. The Croatian #1 made 4 penalty shoot-out saves in this year’s tournament and became the first keeper to make 11 saves in a World Cup game since another FM favourite Tim Howard in 2014 - his quality is equally evident in FM23 with excellent attributes and with his contract up in 2024, he is very much attainable with a valuation between €13m and €19.5m and arguably his best football ahead of him as a keeper at 27 years old.

5. Cody Gakpo (PSV/Netherlands)

Age: 23

Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward (Left/Centre)

Value: €53m to €63m

Contract Expiry: 30/06/2026

What a World Cup this young man has had. After bagging a goal a game in the group stages and helping Netherlands reach the quarter-finals only to lose out on penalties to eventual Champions Argentina, Gakpo rose to instant stardom however many of us will already be well aware of his qualities not only based on his current league form where has racked up 9 goals and 12 assists in 14 games for PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie, but also based on his undoubted quality and potential over the last few editions of Football Manager. Already heavily linked with a move to Man Utd, at 6’2” he can be deployed in almost any wider or central role, with bags of room to be developed and improved right from the get go - the only stumbling point might be his in-game value, but if you have the funds - get it done.

6. Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina/Morocco)

Age: 25

Position: Midfielder (Centre)

Value: €10.5m to €13m

Contract Expiry: 30/06/2024

Another Moroccan but it had to be. Now in his third season at Fiorentina, Amrabat has gone from strength to strength year-on-year and was arguably the key ingredient in Morocco’s incredible run to the Semi-Final, so much so that he comfortably earned a place in the World Cup Best XI. Showing his class both defensively and offensively throughout the tournament, he ranked among the top 5 players for tackle completion and tackles attempted with the highest successful tackling percentage in the defensive third for the whole tournament (see his epic challenge on Kylian Mbappé for more info). In FM23 he is very much an all rounder in terms of his attributes and ability and could slot into almost any midfield role needed which is of huge value when playing a 3-man midfield. With his contract also up at the end of 2024 (and heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in real-life) - €10.5m to €13m looks a steal for his services..he may not be as attainable by the time the next FM data update comes our way 👀.

There you have it - 5 players who were outstanding in this year’s World Cup and who have very much earned a big transfer move following their exploits for their respective home nations. Of course the likes of Fernandez, Kudus, Ramos, MacAllister and Gvardiol are all stealing the headlines in terms of transfer rumours however the 6 above should be far more attainable at the start of FM23 based on their current club and contract. Who doesn’t love a bit of post-World Cup transfer chaos right? Let us know how you get on either on Twitter or in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 

World Cup 2022 (according to Football Manager 2013)

 
 

by MaddFM.

The year is 2012. Manchester City have won their first Premier League title in 44 years after Sergio Aguero scored THAT goal which sealed the league title on goal difference over arch-rivals Manchester United. Chelsea became the first team to win the Champions League under a caretaker manager after Roberto Di Matteo took the reins following the sacking of André Villas-Boas earlier in the season. Lionel Messi is about to win his fourth Ballon d’Or award and Spain are now World and European Champions after smashing Italy 4-0 in the final having been victorious in the World Cup final against the Netherlands just two years earlier - inspirational for Spaniards watching at home in particular a 9-year-old Pedri and an 8-year-old Gavi. How little they knew back then.

A lot can happen in 10 years and what better way to look at what may have been than to delve into the multiverse of Football Manager 2013 to see how the next 10 years were predicted to unfold, culminating in the simulation of World Cup 2022 to see how the in-game mechanics and researcher input saw the world at the time and predicted how football would evolve 10 years down the line. Strap in folks, it’s a rollercoaster…

 
 

At the start of FM13 Marouane Fellaini becomes the most expensive transfer of the Summer Transfer Window after his £27.5m move from Everton to Man City - all of the narrative considering he would move to Man Utd in real life just a year later. 10 seasons on and the narrative balance is restored with the most expensive in-game transfer being Ilkay Gundogan’s £46m move from Dortmund to Man Utd - go figure right? Incidentally, by the time we hit the summer of 2022 Man Utd (led by José Mourinho) are again Premier League winners while it’s Markus Babbel’s Dortmund who are crowned Kings of Europe after beating Barcelona 1-0 in the Champions League final courtesy of a goal from former Real Madrid player Rodrigo - that must have been tasty for him indeed, hope no-one tells him that in real life he has ended up at Leeds United of all places. While in reality Germany (2014) and France (2018) saw a spell of World Cup dominance for European nations, Brazil have won both tournaments in-game making them heavy favourites for the 2022 competition which doesn’t include giants Portugal, Croatia or the Republic of Ireland (sigh) who all missed out on qualification. Strangely Norway have qualified in a world where Erling Haaland doesn’t even exist so make of that what you will.

 

World Cup 2022 according to FM13

 


England Manager Stuart Pearce (you heard me) has announced his 30-man preliminary squad to travel to Qatar who are included in-game as hosts even if a Winter tournament is not (who saw that coming right?). The squad is peppered with newgen talent but the Top 5 inclusions in terms of in-game value are Chelsea’s Jack Wilshere, Porto’s Wilfried Zaha (must have missed that call from the Ivory Coast), Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling (they got that one right), Man Utd’s Will Hughes and Man City’s Ross Barkley, while the #1 jersey is hotly contested by Stoke’s loyal Jack Butland, West Brom’s Alex Smithies and Fraser Forster of AC Milan. Yes, that’s a thing. In this universe Harry Kane (also at West Brom) has never earned a cap for England, nor has Harry Maguire who has just signed for Championship side Hull from Burnley mirroring a real-life move he actually made in 2014 - how does this game always know?!

Out of 30 players only 3 actually went on to feature in Gareth Southgate’s final 26 man squad for the real-life World Cup - Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling. Granted newgens have a part to play, but knowing what you know now can you imagine if England’s current real-life World Cup hopes rested on the likes of Wilshere, Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, Nathan Redmond and Ryan Shawcross? Let’s see how they got on..

 

England XI vs Cameroon, Mon 13th June 2022.

 

Man like Stuart Pearce rocking an old-fashioned 4-4-2 for England’s opener against Cameroon - I suppose we can imagine some of the newgens that feature as a few real-life current players; Simmons can be Trent seeing as 31-year-old Kieran Trippier has found himself at St. Pat’s Athletic in the League of Ireland, Rowlands can be Declan Rice seeing as he is a Londoner and the two Strikers up top must be the multiverse’s answer to Harry Kane and Callum Wilson. They go on to win 2-1 before an embarassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden and a rescued 1-1 draw with Australia which puts them 2nd in their group and sets up a Last 16 clash with wouldn’t you know it, Brazil, who topped Group E ahead of Belgium. Meanwhile Spain, Italy and France all top their respective groups while Argentina crash out at the hands of Japan .

 
 


England’s woes continue and no doubt Stuart Pearce is living up to his nickname as a Neymar-inspired Brazil thrash them 6-1, Ryan Shawcross with the consolation goal for England which we all expected. High-flying Holland give Germany a 4-1 hiding - hardly surprising considering it’s a side with former Newcastle legends Vurnon Anita, Jetro Williams and Tim Krul in their starting XI. Japan continue their heroics by beating the Czech’s 2-0, while Spain, Italy and France all progress to the Quarter Finals at the expense of Russia, Paraguay and Serbia.

Last 16 Results

The Quarter Final sets up a mouth-watering clash between Spain and France which goes to Extra-Time and requires a Bojan penalty to seal it for the Spaniards (yes the former Stoke City chap) after Paul Pogba had equalised in the 90th minute for the French who prefer Moussa Sissoko over Antoine Griezmann for some unknown reason. Spain also seem to have Erik Lamela starting for them so in hindsight he must be happy with his life choices. Japan’s dreams of World Cup glory are crushed in a 6-goal drubbing by Brazil, Italy need penalties to overcome a Carlos Fierro inspired Mexico (see our Wonderkid Hall of Fame for more info) and Manolo Gabbiadini seals it for the Azurri (remember him?), while it’s a similar story in the game between Belgium and Holland where 20 penalties are needed before Thibault Courtois steps up and misses to send the Dutch through to the Semi-Final. Not dramatic at all here.

Holland have a new hero in Ricky van Wolfswinkel (yep him of former Norwich City fame). Memphis Depay’s 92nd minute own goal looked to have won it for the Italians in extra-time but Ricky pops up in the 119th minute to send the game to penalties, this time Marco Veratti is the villain as he misses to send the flying Dutchmen through to the final. In the other Semi-Final clash we have a thrilling stalemate between Spain and Brazil until that man Neymar pops up to send Brazil through to their third World Cup Final in a row, it’s almost a certainty they will become champions for a 3rd time but let’s not forget, this is FM we are talking about…

Here we are. The World Cup Final according to Football Manager 2013. Holland versus Brazil who surprisingly have never met in a World Cup Final previously despite both sides being at the pinnacle of international football during the 1970’s. The famous Oranje against the iconic yellow and blue Seleção - not out of the question that this could happen in real life, however for now we will have to settle for FM13’s visualisation of how the World Cup 2022 final plays out and having scored 23 goals in 7 games so far in this year’s competition compared to Holland’s 15 (plus two penalty shootouts needed) - surely our collective money is on Brazil for this one…right?

 
 

But of course. It was him. The man, the myth, the legend. Luc Castaignos. Not a newgen, no. Old school FM’ers will remember Luc Castaignos from earlier versions of Football Manager, however his was not the name we might have expected to start a World Cup final let alone scoring the brace which handed Holland their first ever World Cup trophy after losing out in 2010, 1978 and 1974 respectively. Luc Castaignos, whose name now gets listed alongside Bergkamp, Van Basten, Gullit, Koeman, Rijkaard, Cruyff et al in the Dutch Hall of Fame list, the most unlikely of heroes but of course, this is exactly what we hoped for in this simulation! 10 years on and the FM13 multiverse has determined that Castaignos would start for and win Holland the World Cup final while in real life, despite a career largely at the top level of European football following spells at Feyenoord, Inter Milan, FC Twente, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP, poor Luc Castaignos has never even been capped by the Dutch national side and though the game predicted him playing and scoring prolifically for Monaco and Holland by July 2022 at age 30, sadly his real life career did not continue in an upward trajectory and at age 30 now he finds himself without a club following a stint at OFI Crete in the Greek Super League. Perhaps someone managing a Dutch lower league should take a look at him 👀

 
 

Luc Castaignos - FM13 vs FM23

For now we pay tribute to Luc and to Football Manager 2013 for it’s valiant effort in predicting the World Cup 10 years down the line…never an easy task (as The Independent proved in 2013) however where it may lack in terms of accuracy and foresight, it more than makes up for in entertainment and wonder at what could have been and how things never go quite as one might expect. Dare we form our own predicted England World Cup winning side 8-10 years from now and see how we do in the unlikely (but likely) event that we are still podding and blogging here well into our 40’s and 50’s? Stay tuned 😄.

Thanks for reading.

Tune into the 5 Star Potential podcast every Monday for more of our latest and best Football Manager content, the longest running Football Manager podcast out there with a new episode released every week on iTunes, Spotify and most other podcast apps and platforms.

World Cup 2022 - 6 Wonderkids to Watch

 
 

by MaddFM.

The World Cup brings about a unique and unrivalled sense of anticipation and enchantment every four years that is almost unrivalled in world sport, and although this year’s competition has been mired by the circumstances surrounding the timing and location “chosen” by FIFA (and rightly so), we can still appreciate the fact that this is every footballer’s dream growing up as a young player, playing on the biggest stage wherein each new tournament produces new heroes and often propels many somewhat unknown footballers to global stardom as millions around the world tune in to see the greatest football competition there is and watch the best players on Earth battle to go down in history as World Champions.

With that in mind and with the recent release of Football Manager 2023 to our screens, it’s an ideal time to preview some potential World Cup future stars ahead of the opening fixtures - not so much the more well-known wonderkids whose names are familiar to most at this point (apologies to Musiala, Moukoko, Bellingham, Adeyemi, Gavi & Pedri etc) but more so on some of the lesser known youth prospects that might just surprise a few when the World Cup kicks off in just a few weeks time. Recognise any of these from your own FM saves?

1. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Ghana)

 

“Arguably the best African prospect of his generation” (Maher Mezahi, The Guardian 2021). Praise indeed for the young Ghanaian who at the time was still plying his trade at Steadfast FC in Ghana having just been voted Player of the Tournament in the U20 African Cup of Nations. His performances earned him a call up to the Senior AFCON side and after being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, it was Sporting CP that eventually landed his signature (while cleverly locking in a large release fee). Since then he has gone on to earn 8 caps for the national side and looks set to be a starter for Ghana in a tricky group that includes Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.

In FM there are signs of quite a good player here - good physicals combined with decent passing, technique and dribbling attributes (for an 18-year-old) makes me think he would develop rapidly if managed well, and if he shines at the World Cup then we can definitely expect a bump in attributes and potential in the Winter data update.

 
 

2. Xavi Simons (Netherlands)

 
 

While fairly well known to us FM enthusiasts from his days in the PSG academy (as well as his tremendous haircut), Simons’ call-up to the Netherlands World Cup Squad was still somewhat of a surprise particularly looking at the omissions of Brian Brobbey and Ryan Gravenberch - however 8 goals and 4 assists for PSV in just 13 league games proves his seat on the plane is more than justified and with the notable absence of Gini Wijnaldum combined with Holland’s relatively straightforward group, it’s quite possible that Simons will be given minutes and a chance to shine in this year’s competion and even if not, no doubt there are plenty more ahead of him.

In FM he continues to get better each season, can play in a multitude of midfield roles and if his form continues so too will his in-game ability and potential - watch this space.

 
 

3. Garang Kuol (Australia)

 
 

Garang Kuol literally burst onto the A-League scene last season scoring 4 goals in 7 appearances which earned him instant plaudits and recognition that not only led to a call-up to the Australian squad but also led to him agreeing a move to high-flying Newcastle United who are gradually recruiting some of the top youth talent around in addition to bolstering their Senior side. Kuol is lightning quick, tenacious, instinctive and clearly has an eye for goal which is why he looks set to be a shining light for Australia as they look to navigate their way out of a group containing France, Denmark and Tunisia.

Still only 17 at the start of FM23, his speed and skill are somewhat reflected in-game with loads of room to improve and be developed upon arrival at Tyneside however as is often the case his progress might accelerate faster in real-life depending on how his World Cup performances go not to mention his pending move to Newcastle once he completes this season at Central Coast Mariners. Excited about this one 🤞.

 
 

4. Jewison Bennette (Costa Rica)

 
 

Sticking with the theme of speed and Tyneside - 18-year-old Jewison Bennette is another lightning quick young winger that looks set to feature for his national side in the upcoming World Cup having already earned 7 caps and 2 goals for Costa Rica in the build-up to the tournament, wherein he provided the assist for the goal that defeated New Zealand and gained them qualification to their third consecutive World Cup finals. This season saw him make a move to Sunderland in the Championship where he has been ever present so far in the league having scored a late equaliser in their second game away to Watford.

In FM23 it’s fair to say he doesn’t boast a huge amount of skill or technical ability however his Pace (17), Acceleration (17) and Off the Ball (16) will likely cause problems in the match engine and he should definitely be on the radar for any mid to lower level saves out there. Costa Rica face an uphill struggle in a group containing giants Spain and Germany, however they found themselves in a similar boat just 8 years ago when Joel Campbell inspired them to beat Italy and draw with England to reach the Quarter Finals (only to eventually lose to Holland on penalties) - if Bennette can repeat these heroics alongside the aforementioned Joel Campbell again then he may be one to watch in FM23 later down the line.

 
 

5. António Silva (Portugal)

 
 

Calling it now - António Silva to be the best young Centre Half in FM23. In the bag. So powerful have his performances been for Benfica this season (which has seen them top not only the Primeira Liga but also a Champions League group containing both PSG and Juventus) that Silva was included in Portugal’s 26-man World Cup squad despite never being capped for the Senior side previously. This is relatively unheard of but is a testament to Silva’s performances at club level where he has been a rock in defence and shown excellent positioning, anticipation, distribution as well as being quick, comfortable with both feet and having an excellent read of the game for an 18-year-old. On first thought one might immediately assume that minutes will be few and far between for Silva but with Pepe now at the ripe old age of 39 and Danilo Pereira usually preferring a defensive midfield role rather than at Centre Half, deploying Silva alongside Ruben Dias (especially against some of the quicker forward players) might just prove to be a masterstroke if Fernando Santos has the b*lls to do it (sadly his track record suggest he doesn’t).

In FM23 - well, see for yourself. A Rolls Royce of a defender already in-game and he is only 18..what a player.

 
 

6. Nico Williams (Spain)

 
 

The second 5 Star Potential list that Nico Williams makes in recent weeks and with good reason. The 20-year-old has exploded onto the scene in Bilbao with 3 goals and 4 assists already in La Liga - lightning quick with the ability to play on either wing, Williams presents an interesting option for Luis Enrique in a Spain squad that you could argue is slightly lacking in natural width with the likes of Ferran Torres and Marco Asensio perhaps his main competition down that right hand side. It’s also interesting to note that his brother Iñaki will line out for Ghana in the World Cup also - narrative merchants are praying that these two meet in the knock-out rounds.

In FM his all-round attributes are quite reflective of the fact that he is one of only 24 players labelled as a “Wonderkid” under the FM Media Description, makes sense why he is already highly coveted by some of the top European teams at the beginning of FM23. If he gets and takes his chance in this World Cup, expect to see his name in bright lights come January.

 
 

There we have it - 6 players that might just surprise us if they get their moment to shine at this year’s World Cup. There are of course many others that are in contention to shine at this year’s tournament (keep a close eye on the American trio of Yunus Musah, Joe Scally and Giovanni Reyna as well as Morocco’s Bilal El Khannous if he gets game time) - one thing is for sure, from a footballing perspective we are in for one hell of a tournament. Let us know what you think in the comments below or of course on Twitter - have we missed anyone?

Thanks for reading.

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