Serie A saga: Can Lazio make Europe?

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A famous Lazio side of old in the Champions League in 99-2000 – how many can you name?!

In my previous post I described my progress up to the halfway point in my first full season at Lazio. I was nestled nicely in second place, but the second half of the season would be a tumultuous one with managerial changes at one of the major front runners.

In this post I will:

  • Outline progress through the second half of the season
  • Outline some tactical changes made
  • Update on our youth development
  • Give a round-up of transfer activity
  • Evaluate plans and objectives for next season
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My FM 2020 Vision: Features we’d like to see.

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With any annual sports game; the Football Manager franchise always seems to hit a slight dip around this time. And usually over the summer interest is restored due to lots of people having time off of work and/or school. However it’s usually around this time that we start to review the current game after a fair amount of game time. As the 7th most played game on steam with around 60,000 players daily; we’ve definitely had a chance to enjoy this edition of FM.

Steam Charts for Football Manager 2018

And why wouldn’t we? This year we got a bucket-load of new features: From the training overhaul and VAR to new tactical screens and the Bundesliga license, it was Christmas come early. Whilst we still have lots of time before Football Manager 2020, we’re taking an early-bird look at what we’d like to see.

New FM Cover Leaked. from footballmanagergames
Get it? Football Manager?
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FM19 Guide: How to defend with a high line

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Pirates.png

It looks like you’ve got enough men back. The next thing you know, someone ends up ghosting behind your flabbergasted defence. Your first instinct is to blame your players, but the game’s animation often makes players look slower, or less alert, than they actually are.

Your next instinct might be to change your centre-backs; either in personnel or roles.

Nothing wrong with this at all. That said, without suitable protection, isolated centre-backs in a high line will always end up focusing primarily on the space behind them. To stop your enemies playing any football, the centre-backs must focus on keeping their positions! Continue reading →

Dictate The Game Podcast 002 | Moneyball + MetroFanTV’s Fernando Gonzalez

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Check out this week’s DictateTheGame.com podcast where the guys break down “Moneyball” (Sabermetrics) for the world of football and football manager.

We talk about the worldwide reach that we are starting to see for the website, and we’ll also talk to Fernando Gonzalez, the owner of MetroFanTV, a New York Red Bull fan channel about the rise of football in the United States and MLS.

Football, fun, Fernando and more! All on this week’s Dictate the Game Podcast. Find us on Youtube, Soundcloud, and iTunes below.

Dictate The Game on YOUTUBE

Dictate The Game on SOUNDCLOUD

Dictate The Game on SPOTIFY

A Different Way to Look at Camera Angles | FM19 Guide

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Within Football Manager you can select a number of camera angles, which you think suits you best. These reasons could be to allow close-action game play or an angle which covers the whole pitch so you can see what players are doing what and when.

Quay FC v Stirling_ Match Pitch-7.png

Data Analyst, example

This is something that I haven’t really seen many guides on, but I have always wanted to write about. Camera Angles: sounds fun, right? Well, I personally use two camera angles and one is specifically for pre-season or when I am trying a new tactic, and the other is during normal games.

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FM19 | Moneyball | Part 1

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I start a Masters Degree in Data Analytics this September, and recently I’ve been looking at how I can use Analytics to impact my favourite game, Football Manager. Cleon recently tweeted about Moneyball, and how no one has replicated it correctly when it comes to FM.

Now, I had heard of Moneyball, and knew it involved using Analytics to scout players, but I didn’t know the true extent of Moneyball, or where the definition came from. So, I watched the film.

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Livin’ the Dream | FM Story| First Silverware?!

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Livin’ the Dream is the third and final installment following the journey of Mason Bradshaw’s football manager career. His most recent role was with Braintree Town FC, in the Vanarama South, where he managed to keep them up.

Following his first win as the boss, can he get his second win in as many games in the next round of the FFA Cup against Perth Glory and eventually lead The Sky Blues to cup glory? Could Bradshaw finally get some more signings too?

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Dynamo Project – Fantasista Quest

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I would like to invite you all on a world-spanning, time-bending journey. It is a side project of mine, ran parallel to my main Dynamo Kyiv save. Also, as it is likely to be the last save I start on FM 2019, it must be one of epic proportions and ambition. Being a huge fan of Italian calcio, I find much of my tactical inspiration in Italy while I enjoy watching English football. England is where the beautiful game began and I find the Premier League to be the most competitive league, especially on Football Manager. In the game I use it as a testing ground for many tactical styles, from Tiki Taka to Gegenpress. I tried Spanish patient approach with Arsenal and Man City before, and could not resist to give Gegenpressing a try this year with Liverpool (albeit briefly as it just felt like cheat mode). In the 1st part in a planned multi-part article I intend to unite my two loves to tell this story. I begin the tale in England in the 70s, before moving to 80s Italy. It is bound to be a curious hodgepodge of styles and ideas, for as we all know, some of the best cuisine is fusion cuisine. Welcome aboard!

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Three Days in May: A Tactical Replication of Manchester United’s 1999 Treble Winner

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The 1998–99 season was the most successful season in the history of Manchester United Football Club. After finishing the previous season without winning any titles, United won a treble of trophies (the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League), the first side in English football to achieve such a feat.

The team’s never-say-die attitude, instilled in previous seasons, was key to their success as the players often thrived in difficult situations. The highlight was United’s dramatic comeback in the Champions League final, when Teddy Sheringham and now manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær each scored in injury time to overturn Bayern Munich’s first-half lead.[David Beckham was runner up to Rivaldo for 1999’s European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

Fans and writers regard the treble haul as manager Alex Ferguson‘s finest hour, although he dismissed that assertion in later years. Tens of thousands of fans lined the streets of Manchester to welcome the team as the season drew to a close. In recognition of his achievements Ferguson was awarded a knighthood, and handed the Freedom of the City of Glasgow in November 1999.

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