One-Club Man: La Cantera
La Cantera, literally means “the quarry” in Spanish, and it’s a term used in Spain to refer to youth academies and farm teams organized by sports clubs, specifically football clubs. It is also used to refer to the geographical area that clubs recruit players from. I find it’s a perfect term to apply to the process of “unearthing” some young gems of talent in FM24. And if that’s the case then I feel like at Real Sociedad I have hit upon a gold mine.
I have to say that trying to implement a Basque-only policy at Real Sociedad has been nothing if not challenging. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that from the start the club has not really been planned in this way. I’m in 2027 now and my 1st Team squad is almost entirely Basque but things were not always like that. At the start of my save, some key players, such as primary striker and most wide players, were not Basque. It took me nearly 5 seasons to find/develop suitable Basque replacements. All while trying to settle on the best possible “Defence-First” tactic for my collection of local stars. And in 2027, I’m starting to think that we made some progress in both areas. I really like the balanced tactics that I’m seeing on the pitch, and I like my Basque players even more. Especially the newgens!
Although I have to say it hurt a lot to have to pass on this beautiful newgen. Trully a reincarnation of Courtois! Particularly when I could have had him for under 3 million. But alas he is not Basque, and now Bayer Leverkusen has him. Lucky them!
As a consolation prize (and mostly to make myself feel better) I ended up buying this young keeper from Pamplona (so far they have been my best source of young Basque newgens in case you were wondering).
Inigo does not have quite as good current ability (CA) as Hoyenhall but looks like his long-term potential might be much better. And most importantly he is very determined to improve. Determination still makes a big difference in how well (and fast) a youngster can reach his full potential. Therefore, I cannot wait to see what Inigo’s profile will look like in another two years of getting 2nd Division playing experience with our B Team.
So far, despite a few temptations and close calls, I am sticking to my guns and and focusing on Basque players. And honestly I have been lucky in more ways than one in getting some exceptional youth players in such a short time with the club. But more on that later. The only exception to the rule would be any non-Basques coming through my own “Cantera” academy but I have not had any youngsters worth mentioning. In FM24 I believe in the importance of fostering strong links with foreign affiliate clubs with good youth recruitment. In previous saves, such affiliates have always been a great source of talent. In this save I developed an especially good network with two Norwegian and two Romanian clubs.
Defending as 4-4-1-1, Attacking as 4-2-3-1
The tactical objective still remains the same. To create an effective fluid 4-4-2 tactic that is more focused on passing the ball around and attacking through intelligent movement. NOT through stifling the opponent via incessant high-pressing or booting the ball long to the attackers. Neither are we after a possession-heavy Tiki-Taka approach. Instead I’m looking for a more nuanced formation that uses 4-4-2 as a basis for defence but then attacks in a different shape (4-2-3-1) that is more conductive to maintaining ball control, creating overloads and following it up with fast attacking transitions. I’m hoping that this attacking shape can help us to better break down stubborn defensive sides (which I have been facing more and more due to increasing club reputation).
Such hybrid formation is meant to fit with the strengths of Real Sociedad squad. At the start of the game it is not a very physical squad. And 4 years later it’s still very much the case. On the other hand, we are lucky to possess some very clinical attackers (and some fast ones) as well as some very technical and mentally-strong midfielders. Even then, we won’t be breaking down opposition with pure Pace and Strength but with Teamwork, hard Work and precise Technique and Passing. We might have less chances than the typical “balls-to-the-wall” Gegenpress side but we are sure to make the best of the ones we do have. It’s all part of my Pragmatic “Defence-First” approach to FM – clinical precision and solid defence over brute force aggressive attack.
So definitely it takes a special sort of tactic to suit this kind of style. It took quite a bit of tactical tweaking and watching many matches almost in full to arrive at the tactic you see now. Although I really wouldn’t recommend tweaking tactics too much during the season. But I am a tactical tinkerer through and through and always enjoy that aspect of the game the most. Even if it causes a bad drop in form during the middle of the season (which almost cost me my job last season had we not qualified for Champions League due to a late surge in form and thanks to an earlier version of the following tactic). So without further ado, meet my current iteration of 4-4-1-1.
1. Advanced Forward – in a more direct fast-transition/counter tactic, you cannot go wrong with a “spearhead” role like AF. And I especially love using more technical spearhead strikers which abound in Spain. A player that can stay high up and run off the shoulder of opposition defenders but is also adept at dribbling and passing the ball around. So very far from a one-dimensional Poacher. If you are lucky to get a more creative technical player as your Advance Forward then this role can really come into its own.
Chechu is turning into a tremendous wonderkid for Real Sociedad and with loads more untapped potential. Hard to believe that I only bought him for measly 750 000 euros from 2nd Division Gijon. Because of his attributes I give him individual instruction to “dribble more” and “take more risks”.
2. Winger is another key role in my tactic. Here I like to slot my other little lethal wonderkid attacker, and current crown jewel, in this Basque squad. The main requirements for this role are tons of speed and good attacking instincts. Although technical skills like Crossing and Dribbling help out too, especially if you intend to play same-side-foot player here. I instruct the role to cut inside so if you slot a player with the opposite dominant foot to the side, it’s probably even better. The intention is for the role to initially stretch the play on that side and create nice overload with the fullback but then in the final third to cut inside and finish off any chances not taken by our striker.
Despite his tender age Cristian Villanueva is starting to look like a one of the best young graduates of Real Sociedad’s Cantera. His pacey counter-attacking runs and timely goals are probably what helped me keep my job last season when every point mattered in the tight contest for the last remaining Champions League place. Right now he is unfortunately out for a few weeks with minor injury but I intend to keep him in this side in every game if possible. The only individual instruction is “cut inside” to make his behaviour less predictable and to better take advantage of his goal-scoring prowess.
Little side note: Those who are interested in doing youth academy saves you probably noticed that I am doing something weird with the nicknames. Let me explain. I put “Y25” as short for “Class of 2025 graduate”. It’s a fun little touch I started doing back in FM23. I am bit crazy that way as I like to track how many of my future stars will come from a specific youth intake. It’s little details like that keep you playing the same save well past the first 4-5 seasons.
3. AMC Position. The club veteran and captain Mikel Oyarzabal is probably the best player for the AMC role. Just a simple generic Advance Midfielder role and for a good reason. I intend it to be an important link-up role between attack and midfield. And for that reason I don’t need anything fancy or complicated. Not that it’s a simple role to fill. If anything it’s one of the demanding specialist roles in this tactic. Besides the obvious technical requirements (he needs both above average passing and finishing ability), mental attributes are key here. While Oyarzabal is a sort of deep/creative striker, he is even more valuable for his good Workrate and Teamwork to drop deeper to pick up the ball and help out the midfield in the press. You cannot afford to have a fancy Trequartista floating around here.
I like the AMA (A) because it starts positioned deeper than any other AMC role (besides the AM on Support) and can still be available to launch forward to support counters and generally act like a Shadow Striker given the right individual instruction. And that is exactly why I give Oyarzabal these instructions: “get further forward”, “move into channels”, “roam from position” and “take more risks”. Think of him as my deep-lying Shadow Striker.
Already at 396 appearances for the club! Undeniably, my main “one club man” for Real Sociedad. Not quite Xabi Prieto level yet (479 apps) but getting there.
4. The right wide midfielder role is arguably the other specialist role in the formation. In fact, Wide Midfielder is very important to how this tactic works. The reason that I went with 4-4-1-1 is because of this role. WM role is one of my all-favourite FM roles and it only exists in flat formation in the midfield strata. I could have went with 4-2-3-1 with an advanced playmaker or even inverted winger (and I even tested that specific iteration of the tactic) but it simply didn’t offer the same solid defensive shape, nor the same kind of transition from flat-two-banks defence to quick transition in attack.
Some say that 4-4-1-1 is a poor man’s 4-2-3-1. If anything I believe the opposite 4-2-3-1 is a poor interpretation of 4-4-1-1 because while it offers very similar attacking shape (which is easy to create with 4-4-1-1) it is very hard to create the same solid defensive positioning that a good old 4-4-1-1 offers. Even if you play both advanced wide players on support. Interestingly, this was actually possible back in the FM2014 days but that was because back then we could play Defensive Wingers in AMLR strata. Amazing right!?
Man, I miss those days so much. Sure the tactic creator and the match engine realism got much better over the years but we lost a few things in the process. It still boggles me to this day as to why we lost this important DW role variation from FM14.
Anyway, going back to FM24 and WM. The kind of player that is perfect here is basically a Roaming Playmaker type or a creative Box-to-Box Midfielder if you will (which is exactly what RPM is if you look at the role under the hood). He needs to be an all-rounder in terms of his physical, mental and technical attributes. When looking for a perfect player you should first ask yourself, would I be comfortable sticking him in my midfield, or would he be a liability there? If he is good enough to play as BBM then he should be good enough to play the WM role. And if he can cross the ball and pass it accurately then you got yourself a great candidate, like my Mendez here.
Mendez possess most of the qualities I look for in a great WM: Stamina, Workrate, Teamwork, Passing, Off The Ball, Decisions, Composure, and Anticipation. And decent Tackling and Positioning as well. As an added bonus he is left-footed playing on the right wing. Meaning that he will naturally tuck in and play narrower. From this position he can combine rather well with both central AM and AF, or form passing triangles with DLP and the overlapping FB. And most importantly, when defending in our flat two banks of four shape, the WM acts as another hardworking midfielder which gives us a numerical advantage when combined with BWM and DLP. The Wide Midfielder role, unlike the more advance wide attacker roles, is more aggressive in following, pressing and tackling opponents. This comes from the midfield aspect of this role.
The only individual instructions I currently use are” “cut inside with the ball” and “sit narrower”. Although I might add others as I see fit. I am especially debating about adding “get further forward” to increase the frequency of his forward runs. I still have to watch a few more games this season to see if its really necessary or would expose too much to opposition counters. The beauty of WM(S) role is just how customizable it is. So many individual instructions can be added to make it play just how you want. Or you could choose not to add any at all, just allowing the player’s own attributes and traits to dictate how he plays and makes the role his own.
Final note is that my current best WM is not destined for much more time with the team. Mendez is not Basque so I will be letting him go when his contract expires next summer (unless a buyer comes knocking before). Luckily I already have the “heir apparent” for the WM role training in our “Jong” Real Sociedad team.
This youngster still has quite a way to go in his long-term development. But hopefully with playing experience in Spain’s 2nd Division (our B Team got promoted last season!) he will be closer to prime time in another year or so. Also it helps a lot that my B Team manager is playing him in his future right WM role.
In another side note: I cannot stress the importance of both having a functional B team (in an actual competitive league like Spain’s Segunda Division) running the same tactic as your main team. You can control every aspect of selection. It’s invaluable as both a source of higher-level experience for your youngsters and a way for them to learn main team’s tactical style in advance.
Only their first season in Segunda Division but already leading the league in October. A rather good sign for the future of our club.
5. The very important Double Pivot in midfield. No 4-4-1-1 (or 4-2-3-1 especially) can function without a solid double pivot. All attacks have to be built on a strong foundation of defence, support and creativity in central midfield. I would say those are the three primary function of all Double Pivots (and in that specific order). My two Central Midfielders need to defend their space well, offer support to the more attacking runners around them and at least one of the two CMs needs to be more creative to add a bit more flair and unpredictability to our midfield whether through the occasional through ball or pin-point pass towards the attackers. I am not exactly looking for the next Pirlo here but a hard-working Paul Scholes will do. Or in our case Aimar.
DLP is an important element in our pivot because he contributes to the overload on the right flank. Together with the rather creative WM and the charging FB, the DLP is instrumental in attracting the opposition to that side while giving more space for our left Winger and AF to find and exploit on the left flank and centrally. “Overload” concept is something I have been working on since my earliest days playing FM and I feel like its working especially well in this particular 4-4-1-1.
Why are overloads working so well for me? Could be the tactic, or maybe the players 
.
In fact I currently I have two very young candidates for this deep creative role competing in the B Team. The 16 year old model citizen Daniel Sanz:
Or the even younger but very driven 15 year old Gaizka Bilbao, a San Sebastien native and graduate of our own “Cantera” academy just this past summer (hence Y27 hehe). Seeing his attribute profile I felt no qualms about throwing him right into 2nd Division in his first season (skipping the u19 team almost entirely). He is just that good! And already showing it in competing against players twice his age.
There is a good chance that I might be able to play both of them at the same time eventually (once Oyarzabal retires and the primary AMC spot might be perfect for Bilbao) but that’s still quite a few years in the future and who knows how their development will go. That’s the joy and stress of youth development in Football Management.
Finally, to finish with the Double Pivot, a quick look at the other important side of it: Ball-Winning Midfielder. Not as creative but definitely the true workhorse of the midfield duo. And who better to embody this role than Real Sociedad’s ever present Mikel Merino.
He is definitely one of our most valuable players (you would not believe how many times I had to slap away those greedy Saudi clubs haha) and I could not ask for a better player for the BWM role. He might not be the best in the class for it but he is the best Basque in this role in 2027 and that is all that matters to me.
Merino is Aggressive, Brave, Determined, good Team player and an even better Hard Worker with good Stamina and Strength to boot. He is also a very good Passer and above average Tackler. He has above average Jumping Reach. In other words, he fits the role of the ball-winner rather well. And a good pairing with a more creative Deep-Lying Playmaker (either Aimar or Zubimendi in my squad). BWM main mission is to win the ball quickly and pass it on to the more creative players and then join in the counter-attack if possible. “Hold Position” is the only individual instruction I set for Merino.
6. Ball-Playing Defender. I always like to have one in combination with a Sweeper Keeper. Even if I don’t specifically instruct my players to “Play the Ball Out of Defence”, I like to create a natural link between our keeper and defence. Because naturally the keeper will seek out our BPD (I even instruct him do so just to make sure). Then at the same time our Ball-Playing Defender has the added instruction to “dribble more” to bring the ball further forward towards the midfield. Our primary BPD, Laporte, is still in his prime and more than capable of doing this (even if he is getting a bit slower). Acquiring former Man City star Aymeric Laporte on a free from Saudi Al-Nassr was one bizarre coup for our club. Especially because we lost our own Le Normand to them (75 million transfer) in the process.
“Dribble more” on a BPD can be a rather risky strategy, but it’s mostly beneficial because it minimizes on the number of times that we can lose the ball stupidly when the keeper just boots it long up the field to be intercepted by opposition midfielders. When we can progress the ball quickly via more technical and less direct route to our DLP there is a much better chance that we can hold on to it longer and actually do something dangerous with it.
7. Finally not much to say about the tactical instructions. I already mentioned all the individual instructions. The general team instructions (apparent in picture of tactic) I usually try to keep as minimal as needed to get my general tactical style across. So in this case I tried to included only the ones which would actually aid us in absorbing the opposition pressure during defending phase and to then transition fast into attacking phase. Most of this is conveyed through our choice of Team Mentality (Positive leads to more risk taking) and roles and duties (which I already covered). Furthermore, if you really like how this tactic looks then be sure to stay tuned for further updates coming to this series. Or maybe if you just like to see more pics of newgens from our Real Sociedad’s Cantera! I know you like those 
Below is the tactic download for those who want to test it out for themselves. Word of caution: it is not meant to be a plug-and-win tactic as I really created it with my specific players in mind. But if you think your team has similar players to fit the roles then by all mean be my guest. And be sure to report back on your experience. Happy managing!
Tactic Download:
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