Rise: a Football Manager Story

Rise
a football manager story

Leagues loaded:

• Argentina: Primera División
• Belgium: Jupiler Pro League
• China: Chinese Super League
• England: Premier League, Championship
• Germany: Bundesliga
• Mexico: Liga MX
• Netherlands: Eredivisie
• Portugal: Liga ZON SAGRES, Liga Orangina
• South Africa: ABSA Premiership
• Spain: La Liga
• United States: MLS

Game Philosophy

• Realism: I will aim to be financially, tactically, and managerially realistic, not using 3rd party apps or tactics that I did not create specifically within this game. I will also aim to be fiscally responsible.
• Somewhat journeyman: I don't intend to stay at one club forever, but I also don't intend to leave at the first opportunity either. I intend to play this save for many, many months.
• Somewhat pentagon: I loaded all five continents, but I'm not sure if I want to go for the pentagon just yet. It's an option, but definitely not my focus.
• Brief, journal style updates: I'm a busy guy, so don't expect detailed updates!

Argentina. Winter in July. He felt like he was on Mars, for how different everything was. Buenos Aires was a far cry from the familiarity of New York. There was a raw energy here, little masked by the sterling sheen that had long since smothered his home city.

His first day on the training ground was full of immersion. The club's 97-year history flowed through its every facet. The club had endured a few years around the top half of the table—but never higher—since its last 2007 domestic title, and he could tell that the supporters were hungry. He told them that it wouldn't be easy. He would try to build a lasting legacy here in Argentina, but it wouldn't happen overnight. He promised them attacking football, he promised them entertainment, he promised them youth, and he promised them a return to the top.

And so he got to work with a quiet energy. There was so much to do: staff and players to evaluate, a tactic and training regiment to draw up, scouting reports and transfer targets to pore over—he lost himself in the minutiae of football management. His favorite parts, though, was meeting his key players. Diego Valeri, the captain, was born and raised in Lanus. He was for the club, heart and soul: a true professional. An attacking midfielder, Valeri would be the key that opened the opposition for the team with his creativity, passing, and composure on the ball. Matías Fritzler, the midfield shield, was another of the local kids. Strong, composed, and tactically brilliant, Fritzler was the second part of Lanus's three-part local spine. The third was Guido Pizarro, a deep-lying playmaker with the smoothest touch and the coolest attitude. He was a real team player, and ran the show alongside Fritzler. Then there was the striker: Silvio Romero. A talented, speedy kid with a scary knack for the goal, he was the spearhead of it all.





Not a bad year, with great improvement in the second stage of the season. The cup run was incredibly dramatic and arguably the highlight of the season, with the semi-final against Boca the peak of the drama.

Player of the Season

Silvio Romero: The 24-year-old striker was a menace to defenders all year long, taking home the golden boot for the season with a remarkable 28 goal return (out of 38 appearances), with an additional 7 assists thrown in for good measure. He was named to the 2012 Team of the Year, as well as the Supporters' Player of the Year. As the spearhead of our 4-2-3-1 possession tactic, his pace, movement, and eagle-eye for goal were too much for the rest of the league as he shredded opposition after opposition. He was rewarded with the team's biggest wage packet for 2013.

Looking good. Shouldn't be too hard to win this league, so many decent regens come through Argentina, so you should get some.

I love your stories and you've made a cracking start to this one! all the best with in buddy! Goes without saying I will be following this!

He'd gained their trust after that first year. The tactics were starting work, and the players were beginning to buy into his unique philosophy. He spent the initial half of the summer off-loading contracts to clear money. The team had struggled to attract fans in the previous season, so he was forced to sell, in order to buy. In the end, he took in €7.5 million and ditched thousands in weekly wages, but only managed to spend €175,000, on a right winger. He was going to have to continue implementing his system with the players he had.

His system was simple, yet adaptable: a creative core who held onto possession, surrounded by pace, and backed by steel. A solitary striker led the line, but was given freedom to roam anywhere in the opposition half necessary to link up with the buildup. Much of the scoring onus was on this striker, who worked the channels and got on the end of through passes or crosses. To the left was an in-cutting winger/forward who played direct, and sometimes even acted as a second striker; to the right was a deep-lying winger who stayed wider and stretched play.

In midfield was a shifting set of three players, depending on the situation. One of them was always a number 10, a creative playmaker who sat between the opposition lines to feed balls to the flanks or up front. The other two varied more: at home, one would play as a creative passer closer to the forward line, while the other was a deep recycler; away from home, one would play as a creative midfield recycler, while the other played much deeper as a shield.

The defense was a much more compact unit. The fullbacks rarely attacked, but instead sat deeper to act as outlet choices to keep possession. They also sometimes floated in crosses from deep. The two center backs played a high line at home, and a deep line away from home. All four defenders defended narrowly and resolutely. The rest of the team pressed high up the pitch with tempo and intensity.

Possession. Hunger for the ball. Attacks with pace and penetration. A narrow blockading defense. He hoped this was the formula for success.

It was.




Projected to be fifth, Lanus ended up capturing the Apertura by some distance, led by the league's best defense. Romero led the team with 10 goals. Paolo Goltz and Carlos Izquierdoz, who started every match as the central defense pair, were 5th and 10th in the league in interceptions. The captain, Diego Valeri, led the team with nearly 70 passes completed each match, to the tune of a 90% completion ratio. Star playmaker Guido Pizarro contributed 67 passes completed each match, also with a 90% completion ratio. New signing Gaston Otreras contributed 4 goals and 3 assists in just 11 starts, earning him 3 Man of the Match awards.

The team didn't score much, but they defended resolutely and won the games that mattered. So many matches were won through comebacks that it became the norm rather than the exception. The team bent, but never broke.

And that made them champions.

Brilliant buddy! Absolutely brilliant!

Winning was supposed to be a good thing. What's not to like about trophies in the cabinet? The team were supposed to come together in the shadow of victory and be stronger for it, ready to tackle the Clausura with the heart and passion of champions.

Instead, talk became of contracts, of rewards, of greed. Players he had thought were 100% for the club felt their careers could do with more attention and bigger contracts than Argentina could provide. No less than four players rejected the club's offer, and accepted pre-contracts for free summer transfers elsewhere. The captain, attacking midfielder Diego Valeri, who had started his career 10 years ago with the club, decided to move to Cesena. Defensive midfielder and an anchor in midfield, 27-year-old Matías Fritzler, who had also started his career at the club 10 years ago, decided to join Vasco. Right back Carlos Araujo, at the club for four years, decided to retire at the end of the season. And keeper Augustín Marchesín, at the club since he was 18, demanded far more than the club could afford.

And so, heading into the second half of the season, the team were in turmoil. He stripped Valeri of his captaincy for his disloyalty, which caused some uproar amongst the now ex-captain's closest allies. He signed a few young players--19-year-old defensive midfielder Bladimir Cruz and 20-year-old attacking midfielder Jaime--who were given suspicious welcomes by the rest of the team. He tried to pull everyone back together on the training field, but it just seemed like everyone was distracted.

Perhaps it wasn't too surprising when they kicked off the 2014 Clausura with three straight draws...