LPQR – Asymmetric

A 3-4-3 with no wing backs: idealism or possibility? Part one

Hello everyone, been a while since I’ve written anything FM-related but I thought I’d do a write up on an experiment I’ve been running trying to make one of my favourite formations work in FM.

Gheorghe Hagi and FC Viitorul: Defining Romania’s past and building its future

There’s seldom so little doubt in choosing a nation’s greatest ever player than it happens to be in the case of Gheorghe Hagi. A modern-day definition of a football cult figure, Hagi has been the iconic name that embodied Romania’s rise to the world scene as a football nation worthy of international recognition. To this day, the name bears a relative familiarity in Western football culture, which is however fading away with the inevitable distance brought by time growing between the moments that defined his ascension to the global spotlight and a present that is almost synonymous with Romania’s football. At this point, both are sharing the umbrella of one word…. forgotten. Yet, is that truly the case?

Continue reading “Gheorghe Hagi and FC Viitorul: Defining Romania’s past and building its future”

The Fantasista: King Kasper – Part three

Hello and welcome to the latest and last instalment of this series. In the previous two parts we’ve looked at what are the key traits of a fantasista and how it can be interpreted as well as translated into FM. Here are the previous two parts if you haven’t had a chance to go through them: Part One and Part Two. Continue reading “The Fantasista: King Kasper – Part three”

The art of the Half-Space: The Gladbach System

Hello everyone and welcome to another FM17 project. This time the spotlight falls onto Borussia Mönchengladbach: a historic team for German Football, ‘Die Fohlen’ have enjoyed their most successful spell in the 70’s and are widely regarded as one of the best footballing institutions in Europe. Having developed players like Marko Reus, Andre-Ter-Stegen in modern times or Herbert Wimmer, Berti Vogts and Günter Netzer in the golden decade of 70-80′ that saw them win eight trophies and make a series of appearances in European finals, BMG’s legacy is tied to several pillars of traditional German football philosophy: youth development, coaching excellence and tactical innovation. Continue reading “The art of the Half-Space: The Gladbach System”

Rapid Chisinau – Home is where the heart is

So, it has come to this. Considering the timing, possibly my final long-term career in this year’s FM, after the Sparta & Artium saves have both reached a somewhat natural finish point. We managed to achieve complete domestic domination as well as reach the CL final with Sparta with a team full of academy products and we climbed our way out from the 6th tier of Italy all the way to a Europa League win with Artium, all done with Italian u21 signings only. Both incredibly enjoyable and challenging, both clubs created from scratch in their respected nations.

So, as a somewhat tangible pattern emerges, and as I quickly get bored with traditional FM saves, I’ve decided there’s only one thing I can do to motivate me enough to play FM17 anymore: a youth challenge in my home town – Chisinau, the capital city of Republic of Moldova. And yes, with a created club 🙂 Continue reading “Rapid Chisinau – Home is where the heart is”

The Mad Max: Space, Commitment & Creativity – Part One

Well, it’s been a while since my last foray into tactical experiments. After 18 seasons of twisting and turning my tactical approach with Sparta Bucharest, I’ve taken a little bit of a different route for the latest chapter. With less than a subtle reference to the title, I’ve taken inspiration from Maximilliano Allegri’s tactical revolution at Juventus this year. Continue reading “The Mad Max: Space, Commitment & Creativity – Part One”