FM 2014 PLAYER TO SIGN: Memphis Depay

Name: Memphis Depay

Nationality: Holland
Contract: PSV
Age: 19
Value: 2,7M£
Salary: 4800£/week
Position: AML/AMR/ST

Summary: Great player overall for his position. Like many wonderkid he starts off pretty decent but even at start you can pretty much guess what his strong abilities will be: Set piece. This guy is all you need for your set piece. I signed him pretty early in the game and now he is imensive as a free kick and corner taker but since I've used my my corner tactic this guy scores a lot of assists. I use him on the left side as an inner forward and that role suits him perfectly. Though I recommend you to use in as a inner forward in a AML position I must make it clear, he is fully capable playing on the right side and as striker but the risk is you won't use his full capacity. He is a weaker version of Cristiano Ronaldo if you ask me. This guy is otherwise all-round good only one thing he lacks: defending abilities. But even if you ignore his defending stat which most of the time isn't used by him if you position him right, the biggest problem for this guy is that besides free kicks and corners he hasn't any other specialties. He is absolutely on of the top offensive wingers in the world if he reach his potential but we aren't looking at any miracle player here, he is one in the line in a top club. He always produce assists and goals, but we aren't talking about a goal machine, more a safe card. In other words he always gets assists and goals every season, but is never the player of the year for your team. He isn't a bargain, be prepared to pay something in the region of 9M£ early in the game and more if youy attempt later, still he is good enough to be worth every penny.
Recomendation: 7/10

I mean look at his free kick stats in 2019: 20 FK, 18 Long Shots. Perfect guy for the job!

FM 2014 TACTIC: ATTACKING CORNER

This has been one of the hardest part of Football Manager 2014, how to get a good working corner tactic. I should remind you that a corner tactic and especially this corner tactic is laying importance in whether the corner kick taker is right or left-footed, but if you're luck you'll have a corner kick taker that can play with both his feet :-)

Corner kick taker

Aim?

Aim for the Far post, but just because you aim for the far post doesn't mean you will score goals at the far post. Depending on how elevated the ball is there will be a chance for players to head it along the way to the far post, in fact it is more common to score anywhere but the far post than the far post using this tactic.

Right or Left?

Use you're right footed corner kick taker on the left side. For the left footed use them for corners on the right side. If you are lucky your best corner kick taker can use either feet which makes him a candidate for both right and left side.

What stats should I be looking for in a corner taker?

This is VERY important. There are two very common mistakes when people look for a corner kick taker. The first mistake is some people only look for the corners stat but that isn't the only stat to consider in a corner kick taker. The second common mistake is that people consider a taker based on three stats: corners, crosses and passing. If you don't have a corner tactic where the player needs to either pass or cross then you don't need both. In this tactic you aim for the far post and there is no way you can pass the ball to the far post, you will always need to cross the ball if you aim for the far, therefor the only stats you should be looking for in this corner tactic is corners and crossing.

A corner taker cannot challenge goalkeeper at the same time

When you have a player taking the corner he cannot have another role in your corner tactic. To prevent this problem you can do like this: If your two best corner taker usually plays as ML and MR, the give both ML and MR the role forward or default that way if he is taking the corner there won't be a player missing for an essential role.

Instructions:

• Challenge goalkeeper:Someone with okay physical stats and heading stats.
• Attack far post: Someone with both good speed and heading stats. Often receives the ball after a flick or if the corner is slightly missing it's trajectory, then this guy will be coming with speed towards the ball. 
• Stand on far post: This role requires both good heading and physical stats. It.s usually this player the taker aims for, but most of the time the ball is headed somewhere along the way to this player, but sometimes it actually is this player that heads the ball and in that situation you need someone that is strong and just gets his head on the ball.
• Near post flick on: Here you should only look for good heading stats. This guy sets up good scoring opportunities for his teammates.
• Attack ball from depth: Good speed but only okay heading and finishing stats is required. This guy has somewhat a similar role as the Attack far post guy but the difference is this guy comes to the rescue when the corner has seriously missed it's trajectory.
• Lurk outside area: Put in a player that is good on long shots and passing. This role is important and prevent many counterattacks after a failed corner, besides it happens that this player can shot from long range and score just after the opposition heads it out.
• The rest? 
  Some of them should stay back if needed, some you could just set on default or go forward, you should use go forward or default for the positions your corner takers usually play so that none of the roles above are missing when your taker sets up a corner.

FM 2014 PLAYER TO SIGN: Rodrigo Gómez

Name: Rodrigo Gómez

Nationality: Argentina
Contract: Argentinos
Age: 20
Value: 1,1M£
Salary: 1900£/week
Position: AMR/MC/MR

Summary: At start he is already 20 years old, very mediocre stats and playing for Argentinos a team usually at the bottom half.of the league Doesn't sound like a world class talent? Well Rodrigo Gómez is a world class talent. Playing for Maradona's old team Argentinos he is available for a bid around 3M£. What happens to this 20 years old midfielder is a mystery because his development is as fast as it gets on FM. Give Gómez regular match time and he'll do the rest and become the best talent from Argentinos since Diego Maradona. You will end up with a midfielder that is good allround except for his Aerial stats which are very poor and he is a very short (165 cm, which is exactly Maradona's height) player. To compensate his poor aerial stats he is outstanding when it comes to speed and technique. The only negative thing about Gómez is his age wich means he cannot wait at all to get rugular match time and a season long injury at start could be fatal for Gómez's career as a top-side footballer.
Recomendation: 9/10

FM 2014 PLAYER TO SIGN: Thiago Casasola

Name: Thiago Matías Casasola

Nationality: Argentina
Contract: Boca Juniores
Age: 17
Value: 175K£
Salary: 725£/week
Position: DC

Summary: Three words for you: BUY! BUY BUY! So where should I start? Well perhaps I should tell you he is not looking especially talented at start, therefor he is valued 175K£. The only special thing with this mediocre Boca Juniores talent is that he litterally develops nonstop. There is just a little twist to this devoloping nonstop thing, Casasola has the ambition and professionalism but lacks the determination. Luckily determination is the "easiest" attribute to develop for a player, the only thing you do is give him a tutor with high levelof determination and hope that Casasola gets along with the tutor (Normally this isn't a problem). Aside from the tutoring stuff I can say nothing negative about him. Just remember although Casasola is valued 175K£ you still would need to pay around 4M£ for him, but consider what beast he becomes it's unarguably a bargin. Thiago Casasola will be a world class defender and starts as a very cheap player to sign, the only reason i can't give this guy a 10/10 is because he NEEDS tutoring to be world class.

Recomendation: 9/10

FM 2014 PLAYER TO SIGN: ALI ADNAN AL TAMEEMI

Name: Ali Adnan Al-Tameemi

Nationality: Iraq
Contract: Caykur Rizespor
Age: 19
Value: 1,2M£
Salary: 4900£/week
Position: DL/DWL/ML

Summary: This guy is really something. Ali Adnan was part of the Iraqi U20 team that surprised by almoast reaching to the final of 2013 U20 World Cup, Iraq lost the semifinal against Uruguay after giving Uruguay a late equalizer, but Iraq had the lead for a while and the scorer was no other than Ali Adnan with an amazing free kick in a limeted angel. It is the free kick stat of Ali Adnan that stands out the most. This guy is really an allroander, not amazing stat at aything (except FK) but good stat on all stat. I really really like this guy because he has such a high lowest level. The only downside is that he is somewhat Injury prone but he is not the worst case but expect him to be injured for about two weeks/season. He is actually quite cheap to buy, i bought him for 3,1M£ the only problem is as an Iraqi player it's difficult with work permission but I aquired one even for UK, so nothing is impossible. The fact that he always get you some goals and assists each season is a big plus.

Recomendation: 8/10

FM 2014 PLAYER TO SIGN: TIAGO ILORI

Name: Tiago Ilori

Nationality: Portugal/England
Contract: Liverpool FC
Age: 20
Value: 825K
Salary: 2500£/week
Position: DC

Summary: He has been a wonderkid in the FM- series for a while now but this year he is better than ever. His potential has risen since previous FM editions. At start he is actually not that bad but pretty far from world top so he is good to have on the bench but not more if you are playing as a top club. But if you haven't defenders already that outclass him be sure to give him many opportunities, he wont let you down. This player is one that will develop, just give him the chance. He is an allround defender and will continue to develop as an alround defender.  When he has developed Tiago Ilori would be good player in any team but to be honest he isnt this world class player you might be hoping him to be. Besides don't be fooled by his valuation, I loaned him and still had to pay 10M£ to get him, considering he isn't a top class player at start he is quite expensive but worth the. In other words he isn neither a bargin and unless you don't pay more than 15M£ nor a bargin.

Recomendation: 7/10

FM 2014 STAFF TO HIRE: Nikos Kalamaras

Name: Nikos Kalamaras

Contract: Greece U21
Job: Physio
Age: 33
Best training category: -
Best Raiting: -

Summary: At the start he is not more than a decent physio for Grece U21. But as you can see this guy has a lot of potential and becomes a great phisio later on in the game. His high level of determination and young age (Only 33!!!) will be the guarranty factor that makes him a safe hiring but only in the long run. In other words he isn't the best but will be. Considering that he isn't afflicted to any club at start is a plus factor (no signing fee to any club), what drops the recommendation score is his lack of abilities at the start of the game and the fact that even with such a young guy with so high determination it will take about 3-4 seasons before he is top-notch

Recomendation: 8/10

Look at the physiotherapy stat from 2013 wich is only 13, in 2019 it is all the way up to 19!!!

FM 2014 STAFF TO HIRE: PAUL WINSPER

Name: Paul Winsper

Contract: Unemployed
Job: Fitness coach
Best training category: Strength & Aerobic
Best Raiting: 10 (5 Star)

Summary: If you've played Football Manager long enough you know who he is, this guy has been a top class fitness coach for so many FM games and this time is no exception. He is without contract when the game starts so he is willing to join clubs quite easily. And his determination is top wich makes him keep being at the top level for a very very long time. He is indeed a must hire for every club, of corse he must first of all have some interest in joining you but because he is unemployed it's more likely.

Recomendation: 10/10

Trivia: The reason Paul Winsper isn''t afflicted to any club in FM 2014 is because he is the sports performance for Nike in real life..

FM 2014 TACTIC: TIKI TAKA

Finally I can begin writing about tactics, first up the tici taca wich is my favourite. Lets begin:

The idea:

Possession, possession and guess what...POSSESSION. Tiki taka is all about possession, but to say you want the possession (meaning having control of the ball) is one thing, to achive it is something else. The idea is that the roles are very free, the players support the ball holder at all times so that he can pass with ease and without risk. The key is to pass in triangles it outpasses the opossition, and the opposition needs to hunt for the ball but will fail to retain it in theory because there are so good passing options.

Eventually the opposition will make a misstake and that is when you hit them. To pass until they make a mistake and then you go for goal that is the attacking idea of my tiki taka tactic.To support this passing ther need to alway be two player available to pass to with ease, to ensure that you need a lot of players involverd in an attack. Therefor you have a very high defense with wing backs comfortable with attacking and three defender very high up in the field means they are always ready to support in case you're player need to pass back but not nececerally fancy a pass too far back.

But how do you defend? The basic idea in defending is If we have the ball, no matter what we do with it at least they can't score and this is fundamental. Keep the ball and they'll find it hard to score but how do we regain the possession, eventually no matter how good you are with passing you will lose the possession now and then.What you do is to have a very high pressure and hassle the opposition players and defen aggressivly, in real world there is a thumb rule called the 3-second rule wich means the defender can only have three seconds with the ball before someone pressure him. In football manager you can't apply the 3-second rule but don't worry. By playing with a high defensive line, hassle defenders, play aggressivly and have tight marking will give them very little time with the ball, that is when they do mistakes and lose the ball, and when they lose the ball they need to hunt for the ball again all over. Besides a high defensive line means you can easily use offside as a powerfull weapon, the opposition almoast needs to start their attack from their half!

In the picture you see my team using tiki taka tactic (Orange jerseys) Jon Flanagan has the ball and look at his passing options, but furthermore look no matter which one of them he'll pass they'll also have great passing options. Also look at the defensive line, they are so high up the field. Here offside is a key element of defending!

Team instruction:

To realise this tactic in fm I use a 5-2-3 tactic but especially in tiki taka the numbers are very missleading. 3 defenders in the back, two offensive wing backs, two central midfielders, two inner forward and a striker. To get this triangle passing play as I described above I use "very fluid" and obviously "control" (after all that's what possession football is all about). The look for overlap is like an instruction just made for this tactic with wingbacks high up the field and inner forwards.

Player instruction:

• Goalkeeper:
  Sweeper Keeper - support
  Instr. Distribute to defenders, pass it shorter
  First of all, with a high defensive line sweeper keeper is a must. Remember originality is important here, Usually you want a sane goalkeeper but yes this time a crazy goalie is exactly what you need
• Central defender right:
  Central defender - defend
  Instr. Close down more, tackle harder
• Central defender:
  Ball playing defender - cover
  Instr. Close down more, mark tighter, hold position, tackle harder
  This defender is not the classic central defender, this defender needs to have some attacking skills aswell for example passing and crativity is important.
• Central defender left:
  Central defender - Stopper
  Instr. Close down more, tackle harder
• Wing back right
  Complete wing back - Attack
  Instr. Run wide with ball, close down more, cross more often, mark tighter
• Wing back left
  Complete wing back - Attack
  Instr. Run wide with ball, close down more, cross more often, mark tighter
• Midfielder Central rightDeep lying playmaker - support
  Instr. Close down more, Tackle harder, Mark tighter, Roam from position
• Midfielder central left
  Advanced playmaker - Attack
  Instr. Pass it shorter, Fewer risky passes, Mark tighter, Close down more, Roam from position
• Attacking mifielder right
  Inside forward - Attack
  Instr. Pass it shorter, Dribble less, Mark tighter, Get further forward, Shoot more
  REMEMBER, make sure that the player playing in this position is LEFT FOOTED or BOTH (Either)
• Attacking mifielder left
  Inside forward - Attack
  Instr. Pass it shorter, Dribble less, Mark tighter, Get further forward, Shoot more
  REMEMBER, make sure that the player playing in this position is RIGHT FOOTED or BOTH (Either)
• Striker central
  Trequarterista - Attack
  Instr. Pass it shorter, Mark tighter
  Be sure youre striker is any good as a trequarterista, this position needs to function more than any other position with this tactic

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Feel free to comment, do you fancy it another way? or do you simply want to acknowledge this beautilful tactic? ;-P you can always comment anonymous ;-)

It's gonna be so nice to finally start this blog. I've played FM for so long and I'm thrilled to finally share mt knowledge.