The Most Beautiful Football on Earth

This post is based heavily on expert commentary from - what I consider to be - possibly the greatest football writing of all time: The Most Beautiful Football on Earth by @József_Bozsik.

Ponta de Lança

As well as a special shout-out to the article which lends its name to Ponta de Lança Substack: Pelé was a true number 10 by Otávio Pinto.

In Football Manager 2024

Brazilian football culture prizes individual talent and collective expression through imagination, freedom, and adventure; futebol arte at its core.

The fluid, asymmetric 4-2-4 formation was the tactical foundation of the Pelé era of Brazilian football; creating a platform for talented players to express themselves within a collective structure.

Diagonals

In The Most Beautiful Football on Earth, @József_Bozsik explains the evolution of Brazilian football identity around the concept of assymetry and a diagonal from left to right, incorporating the left-back, left central midfilder, attacking midfielder, and right winger, through which the team would progress across the pitch.

Represented in the Tactics Creator, the primary diagonal would run through DL > DMLC > AMRC > AMR.

Asymmetry

Bozsik also details how asymmetries evolved the Brazilian tactical identity, through a withdrawn “false winger” dropped into midfield to create a quarteto or ‘fourth midfielder’ as described by @meiaarmador_.

The 1958 iteration employed asymmetric fullbacks; Nilton Santos more attacking on the left and Djalma Santos more defensive on the right.

While not laid out explicitly, it seems that Carlos Alberto played a more attacking role from the right in 1970.

Vertical Heights on the Pitch

Where positional systems prioritise width - famously dividing the pitch into five channels - the Brazilian staggers players vertically in order to progress the ball up the field in ‘steps’.

Applying the same logic we can emulate this in Football Manager 2024 by staggering positions and player duties:

Freedom

Designing tactics to maximise player freedom in Football Manager 2024 is essentially:

1. ‘More Expressive’ Creative Freedom

2. Roam from Position individual instructions

3. Minimise other instructions

Creativity

Brazil famously fielded ‘five 10s’ at the World Cup in 1970; Gerson, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Tostão, and - of course - Pelé were all star players at their respective clubs, who put their egos aside to play together collectively.

Emulating this in Football Manager 2024, by not assigning a designated playmaker and encouraging the team to play with more expressive creative freedom, the idea is everyone becomes a playmaker.

Player Instructions

GK Goalkeeper (Defend): None

DR Complete Wingback (Support): None
DC Central Defender (Defend): None
DC Central Defender (Defend): None
DL Complete Wingback (Support): None

DM Anchor Man (Defend): None
DM Segundo Volante (Support): None

ML Inverted Winger (Support): Roam from Position, Play Narrower
AMC Attacking Midfielder (Support): Roam from Position, Get Forward
AMR Winger (Support): Roam from Position, Get Forward
CF Deep-Lying Forward (Support): Roam from Position

Thank you

Thank you for reading and staying with me through my summer hiatus. As I am sure you can imagine, it’s not easy to find inspiration to write about Football Manager 2024 as we enter the third season since the game was launched, anxiously awaiting FM27.

As always, I hope you have enjoyed reading and find some inspiration for your own saves. Please feel free to share any requests below and I will do my best to get to them in the coming weeks.

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Sleeping Giants

Mikel Arteta took over Arsenal at a historic low, their ‘big six’ status in question, having drifted far from the identity and dominance of the Invincibles, unable to compete with the financial misconduct of Chelsea and Manchester City, much-maligned by a toxic, AFTV-led social media fanbase.

Arsenal had become famed for a soft underbelly, easily bullied and unable to press or build up from the back, having fallen well behind the tactical standards of elite-level European football.

David vs Goliath

Meanwhile, Premier League legends Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp were at the peak of their rivalry; Liverpool ending a 30-year Premier League title drought, sandwiched between Manchester City’s state-backed, 115-charge fuelled ‘Centurion’, Treble, and ‘3-peat’ title winning teams.

Trust the Process

Mikel Arteta rebuilt and redefined every aspect of Arsenal Football Club, dismantling an underperforming squad, rebuilding layer by layer with hungry young talent, and establishing a tactical identity based on energetic pressing, control, and teamwork.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team began to take shape in the 2022/23 season, exploding from 5th place into an unexpected title race where they ultimately fell short to Manchester City’s 115-fueled Treble-winning team and picked up the - now famous - ‘bottlers’ tag.

No Excuses

After going toe-to-toe with Manchester City’s state-backed European Champions in 2023/24 and an injury-wrecked 2024/25, Arteta faced huge media pressure to deliver.

The attention Arteta received from rival fans - even a banner during their own title celebration - was always a sign they knew what was coming.

Win Now

Fuelled by the unhealed trauma of the injury-wrecked 2024/25 season, Arsenal assembled a 25-man squad built to withstand the modern football war of attrition with a single objective: win now.

Injuries prevented optimal squad rotation, but managing a 25-man squad tweaks my horrendously geeky fascination with squad management.

Tactics

It is rare to get through an entire season without knowing your ‘first 11’, but injuries have constantly disrupted the Arsenal team to such an extent that only Saka, Rice, Saliba, Gabriel, and Raya are the only guaranteed starters in the Champions League final on Sunday.

As a result, Arteta has to be tactically flexible, constantly adapting to player availability throughout the season. The constants have been compactness, discipline, and - of course - play for set pieces! 😂 (I have no idea what that actually does)

Compactness

Arteta employs a Positive front-foot team mentality, tapered by Support duties across the team to ensure compactness and teamwork.

Pressing

Arsenal are the best out-of-possession team in world football; organised, disciplined, collective pressing, built to withstand monumental pressure.

Discipline

Arteta and Arsenal had to withstand greater mental pressure from mainstream media, social media, and fan desperation than I have ever experienced before in my time following football.

Arteta withstood this crushing pressure by adopting a disciplined and resilient style of football, playing with their backs against the wall for months on end, grinding out result after result.

🕊️ Now we are free 🕊️ I am interested to see whether we persevere with the same style of football, or play something more traditionally Arsenal.

The Bomb Squad 💣

Since the number of substitutions allowed in the Premier League increased to 5, I have predicted that someone will weaponise substitutes to find an extra gear. Arteta started to tap this potential this season, with a strong enough squad to impact and decide games from the bench.

This is just the beginning and something I expect to see used to greater effect in upcoming seasons.

Football Counter-Culture

“Why does everyone hate Arsenal?”

Look at the political climate of the UK - Brexit, Reform, anti-immigration sentiment, flags on roundabouts - then look at Bukayo Saka, Ian Wright, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberichi Eze, the demographics of Arsenal fans, players, and club culture. This is a victory for diversity and multiculturalism.

It has nothing to do with corners.

Thank You!

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing; I hope you enjoy reading. This was challenging to write, as it’s about so much more than an individual team or tactic; an entire football club & culture reborn. Enjoy this one, Arsenal fans! ♥️ Now, we are free! 🕊️

Thank you, as well, to all of the rival fans reading; your competition made this what it is today, and it would not mean as much without you. We will be The Unsufferables for a while yet, but look forward to competing again next season; I’d love to see Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool all go at it.

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This post proposes reimagining the Director of Football function to be a true figurehead of the entire football operation and to develop a pathway allowing clubs to maintain long-term continuity and build a club identity.

European Model

The majority of elite Premier League clubs have at least trialled the ‘democratised’ European club model with a Head Coach, Director of Football, and specialist functions.

The failure in the implementation of the European model comes as soon as a ‘Head Coach’ succeeds, and they are promoted to ‘Manager’, superceding the Director of Football - see, for example, Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool or Mikel Arteta at Arsenal - and the club ends up back to square one, with one all-powerful leader, a single point of failure, and an unrealistic standard to maintain.

Owners

Often overlooked in modern football culture, but ultimately top of the tree, club owners are responsible for ensuring the football operation has the right people and adequate resources to succeed while maintaining a long-term vision for club progress over decades, rather than seasons, and certainly not game weeks.

Club owners lack professional football expertise, so should prioritise hiring technical expertise rather than over-reaching into football operations (Boehly!).

Director of Football

Rather than orienting a club around an all-powerful Manager - with the Director of Football sidelined as a glorified Head of Recruitment - my club structure proposes that the Director of Football is empowered as the figurehead of the entire football operation.

Responsible for maintaining a medium to long-term vision and identity across the entire football operation:

• Building the First Team squad and advising the Head Coach

• Overseeing the Head of Youth Development

• Overseeing Recruitment operations

• Overseeing non-playing Staff operations

Crucially, the Director of Football should operate outside of the public eye, as it is impossible to maintain a long-term view while facing weekly trial by public court via the toxic modern football media.

Head Coach

The Head Coach must align closely with the Director of Football, focusing on short-term on-field First Team performance; bringing new tactical ideas, fresh approaches to training, and managing the first team from the touchline, presenting as the public face of the team, maintaining a buffer between the club and the relentless short-termism of modern football culture.

Technical Director

The Technical Director manages non-coaching operations, such as Recruitment and Medical staff, and all non-playing contract renewals across the entire club.

Head of Recruitment

Recruitment activities formerly associated with the Director of Football are re-aligned to the Head of Recruitment, responsible for managing scouting and negotiating player signings, new contracts, and sales.

Head of Youth Development

The Head of Recruitment oversees all youth development operations, managing player pathways through the youth system, including potential loans, and supporting Under-21 and Under-18 Managers.

Under-21s Manager

The Under-21s Manager mirrors the first team Head Coach role within the Under-21 team. The role presents an opportunity for the club to develop young coaches internally who could go on to take a more senior leadership role in the future.

Under-18s Manager

The Under-18s Manager mirrors the Under-21s Manager responsibilities for the Under-18 youth group.

Leadership Development

This club structure creates an environment where the Director of Football is free to maintain a medium to long-term view over the entire football operation, without the pressure of week-to-week results, and to allow the first team Head Coach to bring tactical innovation and keep the team fresh while maintaining leadership continuity.

When it eventually becomes time for the Director of Football to inevitably move on, the club can maintain continuity by promoting the Head Coach or Head of Youth Development before considering the external market.

Development Pathways

Future generations of club leadership can be nurtured by progressing through pathways from Under-18s / Under-21s Manager to Head of Development or Head Coach to Director of Football, or from first team Coach to Head Coach to Director of Football; maintaining a continual lineage and club identity well into the future.

Essentially, developing coaches - and ultimately club leadership - with the same intention clubs develop players.

Who will be the next player to become a Coach?

🤔

Thank you

Thank you - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. Completely different style this week; my thoughts on elite modern club structure behind the scenes, illustrated using Football Manager 2024.

I hope you find some inspiration - potentially a new way of playing - for your own saves!

Thank you

My long-time friend and supporter - Anaconda Vice within the Football Manager community - first requested a breakdown of Diego Simeone’s Atléti possibly around a decade ago. I always shied away from it as I find defensive tactics the most difficult to get right in the Tactics Creator. Alex’s comment last week inspired me to finally give it a go. Thank you for your consistent encouragement and support. It’s great to see you back, and I hope you enjoy reading!

Diego Simeone’s Atléti

Diego Simeone’s tactical philosophy evolved over the years, but it was his iconic early teams that most captured my imagination; a disciplined, collective, and compact machine that fought for every inch of the pitch.

..in Football Manager 2024

Diego Simeone’s iconic low-block 4-4-2 was built upon two compact banks of four, and strikers dropping back to form the first line of defence.

In possession, Atléti counter-attack directly, with fullbacks pushing forward and wide midfielders tucking in to create a 4-2-2-2 shape, and a solid double pivot protecting against counters.

Defensive Mentality

The foundation of Diego Simeone’s tactical identity is a Defensive team mentality, built to withstand extended opposition pressure, with players behind the ball, and restrict space.

Compactness

My interpretation of Diego Simeone’s Atléti is a Very Defensive core, a Balanced shell, and an attacking spearhead.

A Defensive team mentality, combined with Attacking player duties in the defensive strata and Balanced player duties in the midfield/attack stratas, gives a Balanced individual mentality structure across the team.

Low Block

El Matador

If Diego Simeone’s Atléti was designed to be a shield protecting the goal, then Diego Costa was the spear, poised to pierce the heart of over-committed opponents; a powerful and aggressive raging-bull of a striker, fighting tooth and nail, terrifying opposition defenders.

The second striker, wide midfielders, and fullbacks would push on to create a 4-2-2-2 while Tiago and Gabi shield the defence against opposition counters.

Team Instructions

Goalkeeper (Defend): None

Fullback (Attack): None
Central Defender (Defend): None
Central Defender (Cover): None
Fullback (Attack): None

Wide Midfielder (Support): Sit Narrower, Roam
Central Midfielder (Defend): None
Ball-Winning Midfielder (Defend): None
Wide Midfielder (Support): Sit Narrower, Roam Get Forward

Deep-Lying Forward (Support): None
Target Man (Attack): Move into Channels

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing; I hope you enjoy reading and find something useful to apply to your own saves.

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Under Jürgen Klopp, the iconic Borussia Dortmund team was a confluence of transformative charisma, a deep emotional connection with the fanatical “Yellow Wall” at Signal Iduna Park, and Dortmund’s youth development ethos, forging a distinctive cultural identity emphasising togetherness, commitment, and a strong emotional bond between team and supporters.

Tactical Identity

Jürgen Klopp’s self-styled ‘heavy metal’ football was loud, aggressive, and uncompromising: thrilling, full-throttle, high-octane football; relentless pressing, and maximum intensity.

Playing a beautifully simple yet balanced 4-2-3-1, including future stars Gündogan, Lewandowski, and Hummels, and World Cup icon Mario Götze, alongside a host of lesser-known stars who will push my spell-checker to its limit, Klopp and Borussia Dortmund were able to not only disrupt Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga dominance but also successfully defend their title and reach the Champions League Final.

..in Football Manager 2024

Jürgen Klopp organised his Borussia Dortmund team in a simple yet balanced 4-2-3-1, made up of a back four, a double pivot, well-balanced flanks, a ‘number 10’, and an all-round centre forward.

‘Heavy Metal’ Football

A Very Attacking team mentality is the tactical foundation of the ‘heavy metal’ football, central to the Borussia Dortmund tactical identity under Jürgen Klopp.

A Very Attacking team mentality essentially instructs a team to play at full-throttle, maximum intensity, in an attempt to overload and overwhelm opponents.

Collectivism

Support duties are - in my opinion - an essential counter-balance to the extreme ‘Very Attacking’ team mentality, creating a collective style of play where the entire team contributes to both attack and defence.

Instructing Wingbacks to Overlap slightly increases the individual mentality of the Wingbacks and slightly reduces the individual mentality of the Inverted Wingers to create greater compactness on the flanks.

Pressing

The combination of a Very Attacking team mentality, High Press, Higher Defensive Line, Counter Press, and Trigger Pressing essentially maxes out the pressing options available in the Football Manager 2024 tactics creator, full-throttle.

Verticality

Jürgen Klopp was a proponent of the German school of ‘verticality’; the principle of progressing the ball forward immediately after winning possession, before the opposition can organise their defensive shape.

The combination of a Very Attacking team mentality, Direct passing, and Counter Attacking transitions maximises this vertical style of play, allowing Dortmund to take full advantage of high turnovers through pressing.

Intensity Trade-Off

In-possession, out-of-possession, and transitions form the inter-linked eco-system of modern football, which cannot be separated. In-possession and out-of-possession approaches must be complementary to be sustainable long-term.

The ‘heavy mental’, gegen-pressing, verticality approach favoured by Jürgen Klopp demands maximum intensity both in and out of possession, requiring near super-human levels of athleticism from his players.

As a result - both in reality and Football Manager 2024 - ‘red zone’ intensity systems are likely to burn very brightly when the stars align, but will be challenging to sustain long-term, particularly as an increasingly congested calendar continues to turn modern football into a war of attrition.

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Wingback (Support): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Cover): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Support): None

CM Central Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support): None

AMR Inverted Winger (Support): Narrow
AMC Attacking Midfielder (Support): Roam from Position
AML Inverted Winger (Support): Narrow

CF Complete Forward (Support): None

FM26

Before we wrap up, a note on the elephant in the room: FM26.

FM26 is dead and buried, for me. Refunded before Christmas, and I will not be going back. The game is simply unplayable.

FM Match Lab just released an update that brings the FM26 database to Football Manager 2024, including a 2025/26 season start date.

Anxiously awaiting FM27 with my fingers crossed! 🤞

Thank you

Sincere thank you for reading, and continuing to support my writing despite my FM26-enforced hiatus!

Like many, I have struggled to get back to a long-term save after returning to Football Manager 2024 following the aftermath of the FM26 disaster.

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I paused all paid subscriptions during the FM26 hiatus. Please reach out to me directly if you have any issues with your subscriptions, and I will personally resolve them. Thanks again for your support and patience! 🙏

For now, I cannot commit to returning to a regular posting schedule, but I do intend to continue building up a repository of high-quality, Football Manager 2024 tactical content and - hopefully - find a new long-term save to share & enjoy!

Two years of excited anticipation dissipated into disappointment, frustration, and disillusionment when Sports Interactive released far and away the worst-ever iteration of Football Manager, prompting uproar online, thousands of negative reviews, and refund requests from a distraught fan base.

I apologise for the radio silence since the FM26 BETA; my writing has always been predicated on a joy in playing, which is sadly not there at the moment. I have had a blank ‘draft’ tab open since the BETA dropped, but found no inspiration to add to it.

This post shares my thoughts so far: the positives, the challenges, and how it impacts Ponta de Lança FM.

Positives

• Database

At its core, FM26 is a Football Manager game with an updated database for the 2025/26 season. Declan Rice & Kai Havertz are no longer making their debuts at the start of a save. All of our favourite stars are there, as well as a new generation we have yet to discover. After two years of waiting, this is not something to be overlooked.

• Match Engine

Beyond the obvious glitches and well-documented functionality issues, the core Match Engine remains a mostly accurate simulation of real football. Graphics look nice, although it does feel like the 2D pitch so many of us know and love is being phased out.

• Tactical Flexibility

In-possession / out-of-possession - or iPOOP, as I’ve seen it referred 😂 - offers huge potential tactical flexibility, which simply did not exist before.

Zonally balanced out-of-possession shape with a more fluid, relational in-possession shape creates beautiful ‘combined’ shapes, crying out for Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri to break through.

We can finally play a Wide Attacking Midfielder, a winger out of possession, and a ‘Number 10’ in possession.

Challenges

Many functionality issues are well-documented among the community.

The two functionality issues that impact my enjoyment most are removing Saved Team Selections and hiding Mentality.

1. Saved Team Selections

Removing Saved Team Selections has a massive impact on the way I manage my squad. Manually managing squad rotation - particularly for a large squad - on a game-by-game basis is a grind and subject to constant human error.

Really hope they add this sooner rather than later.

2. Mentality

The concept of Mentality long predates the Tactics Creator and dictates core player behaviour, but is obfuscated in the latest iteration.

FM26 Tactics Creator still shows us Team Mentality, but hides the impact on individual players, meaning we simply do not know how the mentality mechanism behaves.

I see three potential scenarios:

1. Team Mentality directly dictates all individual mentalities

   • Eg. Every player is Attacking in an Attacking team mentality

2. Team Mentality indirectly dictates individual mentalities

   • In-game advice in previous FMs always advised more Attack duties with a more Attacking team mentality. This may now be automatic, in which case Individual mentalities will be very extreme.

3. Team Mentality may now just be a label, like Team Shape has been for years, having no impact at all.

They are all very different outcomes with massive impacts on the way your team will play.

At the moment, we have no way of knowing which is correct.

Aesthetics

Beyond the glaring usability issues, FM26 shifted from aesthetic to brutalist visual.

As someone who enjoys using the Football Manager visuals to create engaging storytelling, FM26 is aesthetically a huge letdown.

Football Manager 2024 tactics creator represented team dynamics aesthetically, similarly to the way real teams are presented visually.

FM26 replaces this aesthetic with a more brutalist interface that looks - to me - more like something I would expect on a mobile phone than a computer.

..not to even mention the feeling when those relationships kick in 🤩

This doesn’t just look like a football team, but feels like one too.

Match Reports have gone from visual and engaging to an afterthought.

Visually soulless.

What next for Ponta de Lança FM?

The question I have been asking myself since the heartbreaking moment I first opened the BETA, and still don’t have an answer to.

At the moment, I feel trapped in a perpetual cycle where I see the ‘combined’ tactics screen and want to play..

..then I load up the game and want to throw my computer out of the window 😂

If FM26 was any other game, I would have refunded weeks ago, but it’s not any other game; it’s Football Manager.

As of right now, I plan to persevere with FM26. I trust that Sports Interactive is working around the clock to get FM26 to a playable state, so perhaps we will meet somewhere in the middle.

The FM Modding community offers a glimmer of hope. If not already, follow @BassyBoyo on Twitter. The guys are doing some incredible work, and there seems to be real potential there.

Plan B is - of course - to return to Football Manager 2024, but am reluctant to do so until sure FM26 is dead, as it will be difficult to go back.

Thank you

Thank you - as always, and actually more than ever - for supporting my writing ♥️

I am temporarily pausing all paid subscriptions until I find inspiration to return to my writing schedule.

All existing payments should now be paused. Please send me a message directly in case anyone continues to be charged, and I will find a way to reimburse you. Subscriptions will automatically resume when I resume writing.

How is everyone else getting on with FM26? Hope some of you are finding enjoyment. Comments open if anyone has advice!

Heartfelt thank you to all those who have supported my writing during Football Manager 2024, and I hope to be back soon!

Saka smashes the ball past Owusu-Oduro to open the scoring on the way to adding the Champions League to an emphatic - 100+ point - ‘Invincible’ Premier League title, completing another Treble, and bringing the curtain down on a glorious chapter of Arsenal - and world football - history.

Hale End Project

Bukayo Saka spent his career at the front and centre of the Hale End Project; evolving with the team from ‘Star Boy’ 💫, to Captain, into the Last Dance of his career.

Star Boy 💫

Bukayo Saka spearheaded the ‘Hale End Project’ as the first academy product to break into the team, leading Arsenal to early success alongside Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Declan Rice, and the famous ‘Wall of N5’.

Captain

Saka evolved from superstar to Captain, leading the Hald End ‘golden generation’ as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Max Dowman established themselves in the team and established over a decade of dominance over World and European football.

Last Dance

The ‘last dance’ phase of Bukayo’s career saw him move inside from the wing to maintain elite level performance as his physical attributes started to decline; evolving from electric winger to final third goalscorer/creator.

Bukayo eventually claimed his 6th and final Ballon d’Or at 34 years old.

Hale End Lab

By carefully managing gametime and creating a tactical environment in which to thrive, Saka sustained elite level performance until 37 years old.

Physical attributes declined, but Saka remained world-class mentally and technically, scoring over half of his career goals, winning multiple Champions Leagues, and two World Cups after the age of 30.

Bukayo, through the years..

The ‘Wall of N5’

Last year also saw the retirement of William Saliba & Jurrien Timber - the last two members of the original ‘Wall of N5’, the defence upon which we built the dynasty.

Next Generation

Léon, Ékene, and Keïta proceed Saka, at the spearhead of the Arsenal attack; with Kouassi and Daniëls replacing Saliba and Timber in the backline.

Myles Lewis-Skelly becomes the new captain of Arsenal Football Club.

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing, I hope you find some inspiration to take into your own teams and tactics.

At the time of writing, the FM26 BETA is expected any moment now, so I will play it by ear as to whether the adventure will yet continue or if we move on to the new game.

Long-time readers will know that I have been in/around the Football Manager community for many years, since posting Johan Cruyff’s 3-4-3 Diamond from my ‘Ö-zil to the Arsenal!’ account on the Sigames forums, but struggled to find a place for long-form writing as social media eclipsed forums.

Starting a substack over 18-months into the Football Manager 2024 lifecycle was odd timing, but the support has been brilliant and has revived my love for the game, finding connection with thousands of readers across the world.

Football Manager Mechanics

Hale End Project

Tactical Recreations

Feedback & Requests

The comments section below is open for feedback or any requests you might have on what you’d like to see for Football Manager 26. I’d love to hear your preferences on which style of posts people prefer, and any topics you would like to cover in Football Manager 2026.

Thank you - once again - for supporting my writing. I hope you have enjoyed reading and look forward to exploring FM26!

The Invincibles

The Invincibles lined up in a fluid and expansive 4-4-2 formation, combining pace and power with elegance and artistry to produce aesthetically breathtaking football.

• Left Flank

  Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, and Ashley Cole combined on the left flank to overwhelm opponents.

• Counter Attack

  Devastating counter-attacks turned defence into attack in an instant, spearheaded by the electric pace of Thierry Henry.

• Physicality

  The Invincibles were physically dominant and aggressive, led into battle by captain Patrick Vieira, with ‘invisible wall’ Gilberto Silva shielding the defence.

Manchester United Rivalry

Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal famously clashed with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, resulting in an era of unprecedented rivalry, defining the Premier League for over a decade.

In Football Manager 2024

Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles can best be represented in Football Manager 2024 in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Bergkamp withdrawn, in a playmaker role.

Left Flank

Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, and Ashley Cole combined to overwhelm opponents, forming the most devastating left flank in Premier League history.

Playing a Balanced team mentality allows us to use Attack duties while retaining a balanced individual mentality structure.

Attack duties on the left flank, and Support duties on the right flank gives us an Attacking individual mentality on the left, and Positive individual mentalities on the right, promoting that left-side bias.

I would ideally like the left back to play with an Attacking mentality, but that is unfortunately not possible within the constraints of the Tactics Creator.

Combined with Focus Play down the Left and Thierry Henry drifting Wide, we have that Invincibles left-side dominant attack.

Bergkamp Role

Dennis Bergkamp was an elegant and enigmatic ‘Number 10’ playmaker and the perfect partner for Thierry Henry, but had lost some of his dynamism, having reached 34 years old during the Invincible season.

I chose Enganche (Support) as a naturally static playmaker role reflecting his aging - naturally less dynamic - and creative role connecting midfield and attack.

Readers may prefer to use Deep-Lying Forward (Support); however, I chose not to, as I see Bergkamp as more of a playmaker than a hold-up striker. No striker role perfectly suits him.

Counter Attack

Thierry Henry spearheaded a lethal counter-attack, which could turn defence into attack in an instant.

The electric counter-attack is built by:

• Counter in transition

• High Tempo & Pass into Space

• Forward Runs into attacking positions

The biggest challenge in replicating the Invincibles is player profiles. Beyond Mbappe, players like Thierry Henry are few and far between, particularly these days when wide-forward type strikers are out of fashion. Best bet is to convert a winger.. 😉

Context

Context is particularly important when analysing teams that played before the current ‘pressing and control’ tactical META, which has permeated throughout world football.

The Invincibles long predate many mainstream tactical concepts.

• Pressing

• Build up

• Positional attacking patterns

As a result, the team:

• Set up in a compact medium block

• Play without pre-orchestrated build-up patterns

• Attack with fluidity & freedom rather than positional structure

Opponents are also far more compact, organised, and structured than the defences the Invincibles faced at the time, so games will naturally look and feel different within the Match Engine.

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Defend): None

DR Wingback (Support): None
DC Central Defender (Cover): None
DC Central Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Attack): None

MR Inverted Winger (Support): Roam from Position + Sit Narrower
CM Central Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Central Midfielder (Support): None
ML Inverted Winger (Attack): Roam from Position + Sit Narrower

AMC Enganche (Support): None
CF Complete Forward (Attack): Stay Wider

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing; I hope you find some inspiration to take into your own saves and tactics.

Please feel free to share any suggestions or requests on anything you’d like me to cover before Football Manager 2026.

Until next time! 🥂

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Succession Planning

This is a follow up to my previous post - Succession Planning - which described the process of replacing club legends like Declan Rice and planning ahead for the next generation.

This post provides a case study for my Structured Squad Rotation and introduces the next generation, where they have come from, and how they have developed.

Structured Squad Rotation

Structured Squad Rotation has been the foundation of the success throughout my career so far; managing game time to maximise elite players in their prime, youth development, and extend elite-level performance beyond typical prime years.

The principles of Structured Squad Rotation have remained consistent throughout.

Over recent years, we have maintained a slightly larger squad - 18 outfield players playing 2,000+ minutes - due to limiting older key players to ~3,000 minutes in order to extend elite-level performace as long as possible, which therefore results in more game time for a greater younger players.

Tactical Consistency

We maintain a consistent tactical approach; positive, proactive football, pressing intensely, and controlled possession, tapered with a degree of freedom and transitional threat.

The main change since the Declan Rice retirement is shifting from a double pivot in midfield to two ‘Number 10s’, in order to accommodate an additional attacking profile.

Home vs Elite Opponents

Guns blazing. Seven players with over 100 international caps. Three multiple-time Balon d’Or winners.

Sjors Thijssen

Epitomy of a Rolls Royce defender; quick, powerful, intelligent, and technically secure. Displaced Jorrel Hato as William Saliba’s centre back partner, and long-term replacement.

Scouting on this one was not complicated; if a 17-year old breaks into Ajax team, you sign him. That’s more or less it.

Carlos Nkoumo

Carlos Nkoumo is the next iteration of the hybrid fullback; a fullback comfortable overlapping, inverting into midfield, or tucking into a back line.

Fairly big money for an 18-year old, but Carlos Nkoumo broke through in a struggling Valencia side and offered a complete, tactically flexible profile.

Gradually took over from Carlos Baleba over the last few years and exploded over the last season or so.

Ékené Adedeji

Ékené signed as a striker and retrained as a winger in order to find game-time away from our competitive Centre Forward spot. Played predominantly on the left wing for his first few seasons, and shifted to the right after Théo Léon joined.

End result is a versatile two-way winger who plays on either flank or up front.

Joined directly from Right2Win Academy after playing alongside Daniel Daga for Nigeria and evolved into an extremely useful, versatile profile.

Théo Léon

Clearly the most talented young player in the squad; Bukayo Saka heir.

In the long-run Léon is clearly a striker, but he is bedding in on the left wing due to broader squad dynamics.

Primed to explode after a big money move.

Away vs Elite Opponents

Full throttle. Virtually the same team, with just Keïta coming in for Ékené.

Ibrahima Keïta

Ibrahima Keïta is another two-way winger; either foot, either flank. In case it’s not clear, this is a profile I really value as it’s so tactically versatile.

Keïta broke through at Toulouse, scoring 18 goals in his debut season, so it wasn’t rocket science to snap him up.

Home vs Weaker Opponents

Now we bring in the squad and alternate key players: Myles, Nwaneri, Dowman, and Léon.

Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Jurriën Timber sit out to save themselves for the biggest games against the toughest opposition.

Amadou Niakhaté

Amadou Diakhaté is an elite ‘Wide Centre Back’ type fullback who can do a job at Centre Back, Inverted Wingback, or traditional Wingback.

Another French import; breakthrough season in France, signed early, given time to play and develop.

Yacouba Kouassi

Raw but powerful and abundantly talented Centre Back profile. Potential partner for Sjors Thijssen when William Saliba retires.

First Hale End product to consistently establish themself in Arsenal first team since Dowman.

Uche Emenike

Uche Emenike is a powerful wide centre back or inverted wingback profile; currently under-study to Jurriën Timber and likely successor.

Another Hale End academy product.

Jayden Roberts

Jayden Roberts is another hybrid wingback profile; seems capable of inverting, overlapping, or tucking in.

Newest addition to the squad, signed after breakthrough season at West Ham and already on the fringes of the England squad.

Away vs Weaker Opponents

Similar team, with Léon replacing Nwaneri and getting some game time up front, Dowman in for Myles, and Keïta interchanging with Ékené.

Domestic Cups

Complete squad rotation with all key players sitting out to manage minutes and focus on the bigger prizes.

Squad Building

During the first few seasons, my plan was to rely predominantly on academy graduates, but unfortunately the quality in each intake was simply not possible.

A handful of academy graduates are making careers for themselves in the Premier League, but not at the level the squad requires. In fact, it was 9-years between Max Dowman (obviously not a newgen anyway) and Uche Emenike as the first academy product to reach the squad.

By far our most successful recruitment method has been signing players immediately after their breakthrough season and then allowing them to integrate with 2,000-3,000 minutes per season to develop.

Sustained Success

Spurs enjoyed another afternoon at Hale End Stadium joining us celebrating another Premier League crown in front of a bumper 111,182 crowd.

We regained the Champions League after a blip last season.

..and the squad players enjoyed a summer Club World Cup, getting a bit of extra game-time and experience.

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed and found some inspiration for your own saves!

Until next time.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United Dynasty

Sir Alex Ferguson famously rebuilt Manchester United from the ground up, first scaling the Premier League summit during the Eric Cantona era, conquering Europe with the “Class of ‘92”, and achieving arguably new heights with Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney & co., resulting in the greatest managerial dynasty in football history.

Replacing the Irreplaceable

As fans, we often default to like-for-like replacements but in the case of unique - even generational - talents, by definition, a true like-for-like replacement is unlikely to exist, or if so, the player replaced is not the unique, generational talent we thought.

A direct ‘King Eric’ replacement would have needed to be a world-class Second Striker, a Captain, a goalscorer, and an icon, playing at the level of an all-time Premier League great.

With the Class of ‘92, Manchester United evolved into a new team while retaining the same collective identity. Eric Cantona was replaced ‘in-the-aggregate’ across the team; Roy Keane became the captain, Yorke & Cole the goalscorers, and Giggs, Beckham, and Scholes became the icons, and on Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United marched, without missing a beat.

Replacing Declan Rice

Having held the base of Arsenal’s midfield for virtually every key game for well over a decade, Declan Rice retired from football and joined Arsenal academy coaching staff in summer 2036.

My loose long-term plan was that Myles would take the reins at the base of the midfield, ably supported by Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Playing Myles at the base of midfield opens up a midfield spot for a more attacking profile, potentially giving us two ‘Number 10s’; my personal favourite midfield dynamic.

Preparing for the Unthinkable

Bukayo Saka remains at an elite level, having just won his 6th Ballon d’Or but is starting to show signs of physical decline.

At 35 years young, Bukayo Saka remains technically and mentally outstanding, but is gradually losing his pace, agility, acceleration, etc.

Time has come to move him off the wing to get the best out of his final years.

Also at 35 years old, Jurriën Timber similarly remains one of the best in the world but his physical attributes no longer reflect the marauding, all-action wingback he was during his prime years.

Therefore, in addition to replacing Declan Rice at the base of midfield, we must also consider reworking the right flank to maximise Bukayo Saka & Jurriën Timber.

Generational Talent

The final - this time unexpected development - was Paris Saint-Germain producing a live-wire attacking talent, Théo Léon.

At 18 years old, Léon exploded into international football, firing France to the 2036 European Championship with 9 goals and outscoring Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

Without a release clause or any kind of contractual negotiating point, we had to flex our financial muscles, shattering all transfer records - including Neymar to PSG - signing Léon for a staggering £214m.

The Next Generation

The solution? Surprisingly simple. Natural wingers; high and wide.

High & wide wingers platforms our squad in a few key ways:

1. Saka to move inside and complete his career as a False 9

2. Nwaneri to drop into midfield alongside Dowman, operating as two ‘Number 10s’

3. Timber & Nkoumo invert to support Myles in midfield

The downside, Léon will start his life at Arsenal playing in the wide channels. However, with Saka having turned 35 years old, Léon can adapt to the Premier League outside of the spotlight before fully taking the reins in a season or two.

Anchors (⚓️) and Floaters (🛟)

The system naturally forms a very Guardiola-esq, positional 2-3-5 however this is more by coincidence of creating a suitable platform for the most talented players in the squad.

The system was actually designed with the Anchors (⚓️) & Floaters (🛟) framework - coined by @saundzo - in mind.

Anchors ⚓️

• Saliba, Thijsen, Timber, Nkoumo (and Myles) rest defence

• Wingers provide attacking width

Floaters 🛟

• Saka, Max, Ethan, and Myles form a fluid midfield diamond

Dowman, Nwaneri, and Saka enter their final act..

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Inverted Wingback (Support): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Cover): None
DL Inverted Wingback (Support): None

DM Defensive Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Mezzala (Support): Dribble more, Take Risks, Shoot more
CM Advanced Playmaker (Support): Dribble more, Roam from Position

AMR Inverted Winger (Support): Stay Wide, Get Forward, Cross less
AML Inverted Winger (Support): Stay Wide, Get Forward, Cross less
ST False 9 (Support): Roam from Position

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed reading and find some inspiration to take into your own saves.

Of course, Football Manager 2026 is now just around the corner and I am really enjoying the existing save. Hoping to make it all the way through to Saka’s retirement ahead of the new game, but let’s see what happens!

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This post explores the legendary Brazil team of 1982, exploring how we can evoke the spirit of futebol arte in Football Manager 2024.

Football’s Greatest

Brazilian Football Identity

Joszef Bozsik’s magnificent commentary on Brazilian tactical identity describes the evolution of Brazilian football identity over time.

Brazilian tactical identity evolved along the axis of a diagonal, intersecting the fullback, second midfielder, attacking midfielder - or Ponta de Lança - and winger in an asymmetrical 4-2-4 shape.

As the diagonal formed the asymmetric 4-2-4 shape seen in 1958, 1962, and most famously 1970, asymmetric midfielder and wing roles emerged; a “false winger” tucked inside to create a diamond on one side, and a wide-forward or “second striker” offered direct attacking threat from the other.

Over preceding years, Brazilian football gradually evolved from wingers to greater midfield concentration; shifting nominally from 4-2-4 to 4-2-2-2 - Brazilian “Box” - or 4-3-1-2, but retaining the diagonals, asymmetry, roles, fluidity, and freedom, now inherent to Brazilian football.

In Football Manager 2024

Minimalist instructions aim to give the game back to the players.

Minimalist, player-centric systems are less about creating a specific tactical advantage that allows a team to perform at a higher level than the quality of the players. Instead, more about creating an environment for talented players to perform to the best of their ability.

Most important is therefore to build a sufficiently talented squad to embody the style of 1982, and this system offers a framework for them to perform with freedom.

4-2-2-2 / 4-3-1-2 → Box ♻️ Diamond

In a very similar structure to the Palmeiras ‘96 system, the midfield is designed to oscillate between a 4-2-2-2 ‘box’ and 4-3-1-2 ‘diamond’, but this time the opposite way around, from a double pivot, rather than a midfield trio.

The Centre Forward and Second Striker naturally create a front-two.

The midfield CM(D), CM(S), AM(S), and Trequartista (A) float between a fluid diamond or box in possession.

Mentality Structure

Long-standing readers should hopefully now be starting to appreciate how the underlying individual mentality structure forms the foundation of my tactical systems.

Using a Balanced team mentality with mixed duties throughout the team results in a wonderfully balanced setup.

Adapting to Your Team

Player-centric systems work to provide a balanced tactical framework, creating an environment for talented players to thrive.

Given that each team and player has their own individual characteristics, the system would need to be adapted to suit the needs of your team.

The player roles are completely flexible. Of course, you would be moving away from the specifics of the 1982 team, but capturing the essence whilst creating your own team.

Zico ‘holds the keys’ to my system, as the Trequartista and, therefore, primary playmaker but could easily be switched to Attacking Midfielder (Attack) and play with no pre-designated playmaker, or assign responsibility to someone else.

As I type this, I realise adapting tactical systems is probably an entire post of it’s own and impossible to cover in a few lines, but thought it worth mentioning.

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Wingback (Support): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Support): None

CM Central Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Central Midfielder (Support): None

AMC Attacking Midfielder (Support): Roam from Position, Dribble More, More Risks
AMC Trequartista (Attack): Swap Position w/ AMCR
AMC Shadow Striker (Attack): Roam from Position

CF Complete Forward (Support): None

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed reading and find some inspiration to take into your own saves.

Looking ahead to Football Manager 2026, the idea of recapturing the spirit of classic Brazilian football identity is at the forefront of my mind as an early save idea.

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Fast-forward to Football Manager 2024 and Palmeiras’ academy has produced a Golden Generation of Endrick, Estevão, and Luis Guilherme, arguably the most exciting attacking trio in the game.

The Most Beautiful Football on Earth

Joszef Bozsik’s magnificent commentary on Brazilian tactical identity describes the evolution from the diagonal 4-2-4 with the “false winger” seen in 1958, 1962, and - of course - 1970 to the narrower 4-2-2-2 / 4-3-1-2 with a fluid midfield quartet oscillating between a square (or box) and a diamond immortalised in 1982.

Palmeiras coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo mastered the 4-2-2-2 / 4-3-1-2 with a fluid box or diamond midfield with Galeano & Flávio Conceição at the base, Rivaldo & Djalminha floating ‘number 10s’, Müller as a second striker, and Luizão striker.

Endrick: “O Fenominho”

Starting at 16 years old, Endrick is a phenomenon. A Complete Forward with pace, power, dribbling, and finishing ability in the mould of R9 Ronaldo or - with a little development of his creativity and passing - a Ponta de Lança / Second Striker in the mould of Pelé himself.

In my opinion, potentially the most complete attacker in Football Manager 2024.

Estêvão: “Messinho”

Nicknamed “Messinho” for his dazzling dribbling and flair, Estêvão is the perfect creative spark to combine with Endrick’s relentless goalscoring.

Luis Guilherme

Completing the enigmatic trio, Luis Guilherme is slightly lacking the ‘star dust’ of Endrick or Estevão but offers a well-balanced, high-potential profile, suited to play almost any Attacking Midfield role; the perfect compliment to his super-star teammates.

Role-Driven Attack

A role-driven attack is a player-oriented approach, creating environments players can express themselves freely, rather than fit into a pre-defined system.

Rather than asking how two “Number 10s” fit into our system, a role-driven approach asks how the system adapts to accommodate two “Number 10s”.

The system adapts to the players; rather than the players adapt to the system, as we see in modern positional football.

4-2-2-2 / 4-3-1-2 → Box ♻️ Diamond

Endrick & Estêvão are the archetypal goalscorer/creator combination; Endrick as the Centre Forward with Estêvão the Second Striker, operating as the primary creator of the team.

Luis Guilherme connects Endrick & Estêvão to the midfield quartet as an Attacking Midfielder (Support), acting as a ‘fourth midfielder’ occupying the most advanced position in the diamond / box.

The fluid box-to-diamond mechanism happens via the movement of Giovani as a Mezzala (Support) oscillating between ‘third midfielder’ - creating a diamond - and second ‘number 10’ - creating a box.

The individual mentality structure shows how the two ‘Attacking’ roles in midfield shift between a midfield diamond and box shape.

Team Instructions

No combination of team or player instructions is going to make your players play the Brazilian way if they are not naturally capable of it.

It is therefore most important to select the right profiles: complementary players with flair, excellent dribbling, outstanding technical ability, and intelligent movement.

I have scaled back my use of Team Instructions since my early Twitter threads.

The core team instructions I still use are:

1. Be More Expressive

   Giving players maximum creative freedom

2. Run at Defence

   Encouraging players to dribble

3. Play out of Defence

   Keep the ball on the floor coming out from the back

The rest I either never noticed any tangible difference or decided to leave it to the players to decide - eg passing, tempo, counter, etc.

I still use Trap Outside as a matter of habit when playing a narrow system, but honestly have no idea if it actually does anything (skeptical, to be honest).

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Wingback (Support): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Cover): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Support): None

DM Defensive Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support): None
CM Mezzala (Attack): Dribble More

AMC Attacking Midfielder (Support): Roam from Position, Dribble More, More Risks
AMC Trequartista (Attack): None
CF Complete Forward (Attack): Shoot More

ST Complete Forward (Support): Run Wide With Ball

O Jogo Bonito: “The Beautiful Game”

🏆 Brazilian Champions 🏆

🏆 Copa Libertadores Champions 🏆

🏆 Club World Champions 🏆

⚽️ Ataque do 100 Gols ⚽️

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed the new style and find something useful to apply to your own saves.

Please feel free to share any final requests for Football Manager 2024 as we enter the final few weeks, before we look forward to Football Manager 2026!

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The Milan Lab

At 37 years old, Paolo Maldini became the oldest captain ever to win the Champions League in 2007, playing alongside legends such as Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Cafu, Kaka, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, and Filippo Inzaghi in a team that famously played only four players younger than 30 years old in the starting lineup.

The 2007 Champions League Final marked the climax of the Milan Lab, AC Milan’s ground-breaking approach to using data analysis, sports science, fitness, and injury prevention to maximise player longevity, extending elite-level player performance well beyond traditional prime years.

Player Longevity

Player longevity is the often-neglected flip-side of youth development. Where youth development focuses on how quickly a player can reach their maximum potential ability, player longevity focuses on how long a player can remain at their maximum potential.

But what if we don’t sell players at 29 years old? What if, instead, we manage game time, optimise training, and adapt our tactics to extend elite-level player performance for another 5+ years?

Symbiotically optimising youth development and player longevity could potentially result in much longer elite-level careers, allowing star players to become all-time greats.

Performance vs Financial Value

Player longevity is a trade-off between peak financial value and maximum on-field performance. Financial value typically peaks when a player reaches their prime - achieving their maximum potential ability - and remains high until around 27-29 years old, before declining sharply after 30 as the potential for a ‘big move’ disappears.

Eventual decline in player performance - or current ability - is highly individual, depending on various factors such as professionalism, natural fitness, injury history, and luck, but is generally older than 29; in my experience so far, players begin to decline somewhere between 32-34 years old, long after their financial value.

At 29 years old, Declan Rice was easily the best defensive midfielder in the world, valued at £125-127m.

By the age of 34, Declan had become a World Champion with England, having won 70 additional international caps, and remained the best defensive midfielder in world football, but his transfer value had decreased by over 90%.

By eventual retirement at 37 years old, Declan had declined physically but maintained an elite mental profile and remained a key pillar of an all-conquering Arsenal team.

My point is that selling Declan Rice at maximum financial value at 29 years old would have cut his Arsenal career short at the red line:

We could have had an extra £150m or so in the bank, at the expense of everything above the red line.

For contrast, we sold Martin Ødegaard at 29 years old that same season. Now, he is as much a PSG legend as Arsenal, now just part of his journey.

..and the money? In a ‘reserve investment fund’, never to be seen again 😢

Of course, not needing the money is a luxury position, but it is always worth considering whether you do actually need the money before automatically cashing in, as certain players cannot be replaced.

Player Decline in Football Manager 2024

Player decline in Football Manager 2024 tends to manifest firstly in a decline in physical attributes, before an eventual decline in overall Current Ability.

The age players start to decline and how fast is largely determined by player profile:

1. Professionalism

Professionalism determines the level of dedication a player exhibits toward their football career; their attitude toward training, personal life, and maintaining long-term performance.

2. Natural Fitness

Natural Fitness reflects how well a player maintains their physical attributes when past their peak age, as well as how well a player recovers between games and how quickly they recover from injury.

3. Injury History

Severe injuries are an unfortunate external factor that can potentially trigger and/or accelerate physical decline in older players.

4. Reliance on physical attributes

Players reliant on physical attributes - particularly speed, but also stamina/work rate - typically suffer the most when physical attributes decline.

Match Load

Managing game-time is a tool to minimise injury risk and preserve key players for the most important games, whilst investing remaining game time in younger players to ensure they are ready to take over, when the time arises.

An elite club competing on all fronts can play 50-65+ competitive matches - 4,500 - 6,000+ minutes - of competitive football per season.

Based upon my experience, elite outfield players - in their prime - should typically aim for 3,000 to 4,000 minutes per season; more than this quickly increases injury of burnout, injury, and fatigue.

When a player starts to experience physical decline - typically 32-34 years old - I reduce their game time to 2,000 to 3,000 minutes per season in order to maintain fitness, reduce injury risk, and avoid fatigue.

Through the last few seasons, Declan Rice and William Saliba played <3,000 minutes, and I intended to use Timber less but we had a right-back shortage during AFCON.

Despite playing fewer minutes, Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber all feature in the biggest games, against the toughest opposition.

Bukayo Saka remains out captain and star player and has yet to show any physical decline but will play a reduced minutes next season to maximise his longevity.

Training

My approach to training remains incredibly simple. Training Style > Balanced provides enough stimulus to maintain player development and sufficient rest/recovery during periods of intense fixture scheduling.

As a player reaches 30 years old, I adapt training to focus on the most essential physical attributes at risk of decline; typically, endurance or quickness but depends on the player.

Finally managing training intensity to ensure players are able to recover during periods of intense fixture scheduling.

Tactical Adaption

We played most of the last decade with Declan Rice holding midfield as a single pivot, two dynamic midfielders ahead of him, and two hybrid wingbacks which relied heavily upon athleticism to cover rest defence.

We adapted structurally as Declan Rice & Jurrien Timber gradually started to decline physically by moving Myles Lewis-Skelly into a midfield double pivot to share defensive burden with Rice and Jurrien Timber tucked in to become a third centreback, rather than overlapping.

Looking ahead after Declan Rice retired and Bukayo Saka starts to decline physically, I am planning to have Myles Lewis-Skelly take the reigns in midfield, and move Bukayo Saka central.

Contract

At the point where players start to decline physically - around 32-34 years old - they typically become open to new contracts with reduced squad status and salary which is extremely helpful in maintaining player happiness with reduced gametime and managing financial budget.

Enjoy establishing records which will stand for generations.

Let’s see if there’s time for one more 😉

Thank you

Thank you - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoy and find something useful to take into your own saves.

Until next time, the start of a new chapter..

25-Year Rule

In order for your board to consider authorising a new stadium, your club must have spent a minimum of 25 years in the current stadium.

Arsenal, for example, moved into the Emirates Stadium in 2026.

Arsenal can therefore start planning any potential stadium move from 2031.

Planning & Financing

The overall construction cost of Hale End Stadium was £665m - roughly what I expected - however, this was offset by the sale of the Emirates Stadium for £183m and sponsorship income of £236m, leaving a remaining balance of £246m to be covered by the club.

The overall £665m shows as an immediate cost under Ground Maintenance.

The £183m from the sale of the Emirates Stadium also shows immediately under Investments.

It is worth noting that the £112m sponsorship revenue & £124m corporate facilities income are paid monthly/annually after moving into the stadium and are spread over a number of years.

This means that whilst they may offset the overall cost of the stadium, you do still need the - in my case £482m - capital up-front.

Naming

Clubs will name the stadium after you the majority of the time, so in order to name the stadium as you wish, you need to temporarily edit your name to the name you wish for the stadium.

In my case, I temporarily changed my name to ‘Hale End’ using the in-game editor from the point the board agreed the new stadium, until the plans were announced, and the board named the stadium Hale End Stadium.

Over-Saving

The “What money cannot buy” post below laments unnecessary player sales as a result of over-estimating the overall stadium construction costs.

Sadly, selling players like Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel, and Ben White for maximum value - whilst still in their respective primes - to generate funds was unnecessary.

In retrospect, maintaining a sensible wage structure, a stable squad focused on youth development, and sustained success would have generated enough capital to finance the stadium without the need for major sales.

Moving In

Bukayo Saka captained Arsenal in the first-ever game at the Hale End Stadium on-time at the start of the 2033/34 season.

A few people have mentioned delays due to planning permission. We did not face any delays, but I could see it happening. I don’t think there’s anything you can do other than push through.

Arsenal have since broken every attendance record in every competition we compete in, but the major impact has - of course - been matchday and ticket revenue.

Combined with Premier League broadcasting revenue, consistent Champions League football, and a global commercial brand, the Hale End Stadium has established Arsenal as a fully self-sustaining modern super-club.

Making History..

Welcome Tottenham, to Hale End Stadium.

North London is Red ♥️

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you have enjoyed reading and find some inspiration for your own saves.

Until next time..

This post explores the Ponta de Lança role - from which this publication borrows its name - outlining what makes the role so effective, and how to use it in your own tactical systems.

Ponta de Lança

The Ponta de Lança role fits into the traditional Brazilian 4-2-4 system, playing just behind the Centre Forward.

The Ponta de Lança distinguishes itself from contemporary Attacking Midfield or ‘Number 10’ roles - such as Trequartista, or Enganche - by acting as the team’s primary goalscorer, operating from a withdrawn position with freedom for greater involvement in the attacking build-up play, creativity, link-up play, as well as goalscoring.

The Ponta de Lança exists within the iconic Brazilian style of football, played with freedom, prioritising creativity, individual talent, dribbling, and technique.

Ponta de Lança in Football Manager 2024

Shadow Striker is the primary goalscoring Attacking Midfield role in Football Manager 2024.

The Shadow Striker role is only available with an Attack duty so my preference is to use a Balanced team mentality in order to balance individual mentalities across the team.

Readers not yet familiar with the interaction between Team Mentality, Player Duty, and Individual Mentality can catch up here:

Jogo Bonito

Brazilian football is famous for artistry, creativity, flair, and technical brilliance.

The combination of technically brilliant attackers with team instructions to play with more creative freedom and dribbling are essential to create that vibrant, technical style.

Play out of defence whilst retaining medium passing and tempo creates a degree of possession football, but not to the extent of European positional football, and is tapered by counter attacking when the opportunity presents, promoting flexibility and unpredictability.

Out-of-possession the Brazil team is not overly suited to a high press, nor defending in a low-block, so I opted to create a compact medium block (again see individual mentalities) however this could be flexible depending on the characteristics of the squad.

Player Profile

The ponta de lança is the attacking focal point of your team, so should be a suitably talented player; technical, intelligent, creative, and a lethal goalscorer.

Endrick has the potential to develop into the archtypical ponta de lança.

✅ Finishing, composure & movement
✅ Anticipation & decision making
✅ Technique & first touch
✅ Dribbling, flair, agility & acceleration
✅ Creativity & passing

Players like Lamine Yamal, Saka, Nwaneri, Rodrigo Mora, Musiala, and Wirtz could all thrive in the ponta de lança role.

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Wingback (Support): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Support): None

CM Central Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Central Midfielder (Support): None

AMR Advanced Playmaker (Support): Roam from Position, Dribble More, Narrow
AMC Shadow Striker (Attack): Roam from Position
AML Inverted Winger (Support): Roam from Position, Narrow

ST Complete Forward (Support): Run Wide With Ball

🇧🇷🏆🇧🇷 FIFA World Cup 2026 🇧🇷🏆🇧🇷

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Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed the new style and find something useful to apply to your own saves.

I received a few requests to delve into relationism, and am gradually working my way up to a comprehensive post in the upcoming weeks.

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Tactical Paradigm

The primary role of tactics - in my view - is to create optimal conditions for players to collectively perform to the best of their ability; getting the best players on the field, playing in their preferred area, and performing a role which suits their abilities whilst retaining overall collective balance.

As a result, while I have certain preferences, I am not overly wedded to a particular style of play or formation, constantly evolving with tactical trends and adapting as the squad develops.

Tactical Blueprint

Proceeding Mikel Arteta, we inherit a squad purpose-built for sustained pressure; pressing high, and dominating possession in opposition territory.

Arsenal boast a very young, high-potential squad, creating a strong foundation for years to come.

Attacking Dynamics

Arsenal prioritise attacking width in a system including wide centre-back / inverted fullbacks, a midfield double pivot, and limited attacking dynamism from Kai Havertz & Martin Ødegaard; as a result, Bukayo Saka can be restricted to attacking wide channels rather than more dangerous central areas.

Potential solutions each involve a degree of trade-off:

1. Sacrificing width gets Saka into dangerous attacking spaces, but loses the ability to stretch the opposition defence and attack the full width of the field.

2. Adding more positionally dynamic attackers gives Saka the opportunity to inter-change and attack dangerous areas in the centre but sacrifices either Ødegaard, Havertz, or Tchouameni, depending on the rest of your set up.

This will become an increasingly attractive option as Nwaneri develops.

3. Similarly, playing an alternative winger and repositioning Saka centrally puts Saka in dangerous attacking positions, but - again - sacrifices a key player centrally.

This save unfortunately pre-dates Madueke addition to the squad or could also have been a more attractive solution.

Hybrid Fullbacks

My solution was to implement the concept of hybrid fullbacks: strong one-on-one defenders who also contribute to build-up and attack wide channels.

Hybrid fullbacks maintain attacking width while simultaneously contributing to build-up and offering more defensive solidity than traditional overlapping wingbacks.

The hybrid fullback role requires athletic, intelligent, well-rounded profiles capable of contributing in all phases of play.

Overlapping fullbacks simultaneously:

✅ Plays Saka in his preferred Right Wing, free to cut inside and attack centrally
✅ Retains space for key players - Ødegaard, Havertz, Tchouameni - centrally
✅ Maintains attacking width

The trade-off is that Myles and Timber offer less attacking threat in wide channels than a natural attacker, but this felt more attractive than other potential solutions.

Anchors (⚓️) & Floaters (🛟)

Anchors & Floaters framework - coined by @saundzo - articulates the balance of structure and freedom within tactical systems.

Anchors (⚓️) provide the structure, maintaining defensive cover and attacking width.

Floaters (🛟) free to play with fluidity and freedom with less structural responsibility.

The idea reminded me of @ClarissaBarcala’s Art of Planning Freedom and closely resonates with the methodology I have used to find a balance between structure and attacking freedom.

Double Pivot vs two ‘Number 10s’

As the squad developed - particularly through the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri & Max Dowman - we alternated between:

1. 4-3-3 with a double pivot

2. 4-2-3-1 with two ‘Number 10s

4-3-3 w/ Double Pivot

4-3-3 allowed Ødegaard to play as a Roaming Playmaker, the creative hub of the team operating from midfield, with the defensive stability of the Rice-Tchouameni double pivot behind him.

4-2-3-1 w/ Two ‘Number 10s’

We adapted to the unstoppable rise of Ethan Nwaneri by shifting from a midfield double-pivot to two ‘Number 10s".

My favourite ‘two Number 10’ midfield combination is an Attacking Midfielder (Support) with a Roaming Playmaker / Central Midfielder (Support) as a kind of 8/10 hybrid.

I have not yet settled on a 4-3-3 midfield combination with two ‘Number 10s’ which I am completely happy with.

4-3-3 w/ False 9

With the arrival of the final Hale End superstar - Max Dowman - we reverted to 4-3-3, allowing Dowman to drive forward from deep, Nwaneri to play a free ‘False 9’ role, Saka to cut inside, and Myles to complete his Central Midfielder-arc.

Throughout each structural change, we maintained a core tactical blueprint - collectivism, pressing, control - whilst platforming our most talented players in optimal roles within a balanced structure.

Hybrid Possession

In line with the real-life trend toward interspersing controlled possession with direct counterattacks, we shifted from ‘Sustained Pressure’ to ‘Hybrid Possession’.

Key changes:

1. Play out of Defence without Shorter Passing

Until recently, I had never considered the difference between Shorter Passing and Play out of Defence:

• Shorter Passing adds shorter passing for your entire team

• Play out of Defence adds shorter passing for players in the defensive strata

Using Play out of Defence without Shorter Passing essentially creates an imaginary line through your team where players in the defensive - including Defensive Midfield - strata play short passing, and more advanced players are more direct.

2. Counter

One of the major tactical trends of 2024/25 was possession-based teams adding counter attacks in transition.

High pressing + counter attacking can potentially lead to unsustainable intensity in every phase of the game - think Bielsa, Postecoglou, Sarri, etc. - but combined with low tempo in settled possession should maintain a balance.

3. Focus Play Down the Right

Something else I had never really considered, but it does result in more play going down the right-hand side, where Saka, Nwaneri & Dowman offer game-breaking attacking threat.

The combination of Focus Play Down the Right + Shoot More + Cross Less on Saka seems to work very well 🔥

Player Instructions

GK Sweeper Keeper (Support): None

DR Wingback (Support): Cross Less Often
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DC Ball-Playing Defender (Defend): None
DL Wingback (Support): Cross Less Often

DM Defensive Midfielder (Defend): None
CM Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support): None
CM Mezzala (Support): Dribble more, Shoot more
*AM Attacking Midfielder (Support): Roam, Dribble more, Shoot more

AMR Inverted Winger (Support): Roam, Narrow, Shoot more, Cross Less, Take Risks
AMR Inverted Winger (Support): Roam, Narrow, Cross Less, Take Risks
ST False 9 (Support): Roam from Position, Swap Position w/ AMR

*in 4-2-3-1

Future Plans

After taking a break during the distraction of the summer transfer window, I have returned my attention to Hale End.

The next interesting challenge to navigate is the twilight years of players such as Rice (35), Saliba (33), Timber (33), and Saka (32).

Beyond that, I would like to continue to evolve our tactical system to some of the new ideas I have explored since winning the 2034 World Cup, particularly intra-system rotations.

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope you enjoyed and found something useful to take into your save.

After a break during the summer transfer window, I look forward to an exciting new era.

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Download link for paid subscribers as a special thank you for generously supporting my writing below:

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This post explores my second favourite role in Football Manager 2024, the Deep-Lying Playmaker (Defend); outlining what makes the role so effective and how to use it within your own tactical systems.

What is a Playmaker?

A playmaker is generally the creative hub and often the heartbeat of a team, afforded greater influence over the way a team plays in possession.

Perhaps the greatest impact of a playmaker extends beyond the player themselves in the way the rest of the team prioritise the playmaker in possession; assigning a playmaker role is essentially an instruction to the rest of the team to pass the ball to the playmaker, which can have a profound effect on overall team dynamics.

Done well, a playmaker will be a creative and intelligent player, operating in space, with progressive passing options available. However done badly, a team could end up continually passing the ball into congested areas, without passing options available, or to a player prone to backwards or sideways passes.

Why the Deep-Lying Playmaker?

The inherent value of the deep-lying playmaker is - somewhat obviously - that they operate in deep positions with play ahead of them.

With a ’10’ you will play 4-2-1-3 and with a ‘6’ it will be 4-1-2-3. Taking a good look at the two numbers in the middle, you can see that with a ’10’ two players are behind the ball and one is set up offensively, as with a ‘6’ three (1+2) players are behind the ball of which two are offensive. This is how you kill two birds with one stone: both defensively as offensively you will have an extra player.

- Johan Cruyff: the Misuse of the Number 10

See the progressive passing options available to Marc Roca as a Deep-Lying Playmaker at the base of a 4-3-3:

Whilst simultaneously maintaining the threat of a direct pass in behind the high opposition defensive line.

Player Profile

If the Deep-Lying Playmaker is so effective, then why doesn’t every team use one?

The answer is simple: player profile.

A lone deep-lying playmaker is simultaneously a playmaker and a defensive midfielder; two very different roles and also very crucial roles within a team.

The ideal Deep-Lying Playmaker profile blends:

• Defensive positioning

  • Positioning, anticipation, team work, work rate, stamina, and strength

• Football intelligence

  • Decisions, composure, and vision

• Technique

  • Technique, passing, and first touch

• Player Traits

  • Dictates Tempo, Plays One-Twos, comes deep to get ball

Deep-lying Playmaket profiles are extremely difficult to find, hence the three-year Martin Zubimendi transfer saga involving every elite club in Europe.

O Capitão

Long-time readers will remember the greatest player in my Football Manager history, Tiago Dantas at Benfica; the foundation of a Benfica dynasty that dominated European and World football for two decades.

Dantas sat at the base of various iterations of 4-3-3 controlling games by dictating tempo, and conducting attacks from deep.

Tiago Dantas dominated European and World football with Benfica through controlled possession and creative attacking play for two decades.

Deep-Lying Playmaker in Football Manager 2024

The most common complaint about the Deep-Lying Playmaker (Defend) is that the role is too passive in possession; playing too many sideways and backwards passes.

Now, I hope that readers who have been following earlier posts will already have identified that too many sideways or backwards passes are a result of an overly cautious - or even defensive - individual mentality.

As a general rule, any playmaker will always have a Balanced, Positive, or Attacking mentality in any system I use.

In order for a Deep-Lying Playmaker (Defend) to play with a Balanced individual mentality, a team must play with an Attacking or Very Attacking team mentality.

With a balanced individual mentality, the Deep-Lying Playmaker will dictate tempo and conduct attacks in a controlled and balanced way.

The Next Generation

As Tiago Dantas is the historical legacy of the position, and Martin Zubimendi is the present, the future comes from Hale End..

Thank you

Thank you very much - as always - for reading and supporting my writing. I hope this profile of my second favourite role in Football Manager offers some inspiration for your own saves.

I have a feeling this is going to be a popular role this season, as we see what Martin Zubimendi can do!

Positional Play

Positional play emerged as the preeminent tactical ideology permeating elite-level European football, gradually evolving over time following the success of Barcelona and the Spanish national team in the 2000s.

Positional play is based upon rational occupation of space on the pitch in order to create various advantages and manipulate opposition defence.

Rational occupation of space is achieved by dividing the pitch into zones and positioning players depending on each phase of play: attack, attacking transition, defence, and defensive transition.

Positional teams often attack through five channels, naturally stretching the opposition defence and occupying spaces between a traditional back four.

Inter-System Rotations

Teams achieve a positional attack by rotating between a more traditional, baseline formation and an attacking shape, occupying five - or even six - channels in the attacking phase.

Pep Guardiola - the lead positional play protagonist - introduced the positional attack to the Premier League with his 2017/18 Manchester City ‘centurion’ side, rotating from a base 4-3-3 into a devastatingly effective 2-3-5 by inverting the fullbacks into midfield.

2-3-5 gradually evolved to become 3-2-5 as Guardiola added more defensive stability, initially by inverting one fullback, and eventually pushing John Stones up into midfield, culminating with a Manchester City ‘treble’ in 2023/24.

3-2-5 has become - and remains - a mainstream staple throughout elite-level European football, but a gradual and intermittent movement toward 3-1-6 or 3-4-3 diamond.

Many teams and coaches have experimented with 3-1-6 variants, but few have consistently adopted it as their primary attacking shape. Step in, Luis Enrique..