vlad-the-impaling-gunner
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Los Boquerones (The Anchovies): A guide to succeed with Malaga CF
Year Founded: 1948
Status: Professional
Reputation: National
League: LIGA BBVA
Nickname: Los Boquerones or The Anchovies, in English
Rivalries: Betis, Sevilla, Cadiz
Last season: 17th
1. START OF SEASON EXPECTATIONS
You can choose all the available options to any club i.e. Avoid relegation, Mid-table, top half, continental qualification, title challenge, winner. I suggest taking top half finish as this is realistically possible. This will give you a healthy transfer kitty of €12.25M and a wage pot of €625k p/w.
View attachment 145614
2. BACKROOM STAFF: WHO TO KEEP, WHO TO RELEASE?
Malaga have a lot of useless staff who don't really contribute to your star rating while eating up wages. I recommend getting rid of every coach except for Enrique Ruiz, who is a decent 4-star fitness coach. However, the board will block the release of your assistant, Ruben Cousillas, goalkeeping coach Xabier, and fitness coach Jose Cabello. I suggest getting rid of these three later on once you have progressed in the game. You should also get rid of all the scouts at the club at the start since they are all pretty poor.
I recommend bringing in the following: (NOTE: Some of them may not be on your game depending on the database size and custom leagues you choose to load)
View attachment 145608
3. THE SQUAD
This is the Malaga side at the start of the game:
GOALKEEPERS:
Sorry, I couldn't get a similar picture for Asenjo and Galatto.
So basically, Malaga have Arnau, Ruben, Galatto, and Asenjo at the start. Asenjo should definitely be your first choice but he is out injured for 3-5 months at the start. The other three are only backup's at best. I would recommend using Arnau as keeper until Asenjo is fit while Galatto can be third choice. You can loan out Ruben for a small fee like €150k. If you feel Arnau is not good enough to cover for the first couple of months, I recommend signing Silviu Lung Jr. for about €900k.
DEFENDERS:
Malaga's defense is ok-ish. Demichelis is your strongest centre-back and Gamez is your strongest full-back. I'd recommend getting rid of Helder Rosario. Despite the fact that he has impressive technical stats, he is getting old and is by no means a top player. You should be able to raise roundabout €2.6M for him. Ideally, I would also want to get rid of Malagueno and Stadsgaard but they have both just joined the club and hence they will be reluctant to leave even if you transfer list them. Weligton is quite decent and I suggest playing him alongside Demichelis in the center of your defense. As for the full backs, I suggest getting rid of Manolo Gaspar, who is getting old. You should be able to raise about €4.5M for him (See screenie below). Gamez should be your first choice right back. Manu Torres is one for the future. He is young but provides adequate cover for Gamez at the moment. Keep him. I suggest getting rid of Mtiliga in January when he has recovered from his injury. He has pretty poor defensive stats.
I recommend two signings for the defense: First, bring in Sebastian Coates who holds a Spanish passport and has a €2.8M release clause. A very promising prospect who might go on to become one of the best defenders in the league, Coates should temporarily be your back-up for Weligton and Demichelis before he is slowly integrated as a first team regular. I recommend getting him tutored by Demichelis. On the left flank, I suggest signing Roberto Canella from Sporting for €3.3M. He is a very impressive and reliable defender who is solid at the back and going forward too. If you don't want to sign him, I suggest Alex Sandro from Santos on a loan deal. He will, however, take up one of your three valuable non-EU spots.
View attachment 145612View attachment 145596View attachment 145597
MIDFIELDERS:
First things first, I suggest terminating Quincy's loan deal immediately. He is quite poor and on a €46,000-a-week deal. I would also let go of Eliseu, who is unimpressive too. But, since he has only joined the club recently, he will be reluctant to leave the club even if you transfer-list him. Hence, you can keep him as the back-up winger for either flank. As first choice right winger, I recommend signing Mehdi Carcela, who has insane attributes and is very cheap. He should cost you €2M max. Be sure to move quickly since he attracts a lot of interest early on in the game. Another alternative, if for some reason you don't wish to sign Carcela, is Carmelo, who is quite decent and should cost only €3M. On the left wing, Duda is undoubtedly your first choice. He may be 30 but he still has a lot to offer your side. He is a set-piece specialist and is an excellent crosser of the ball. You don't need to sign another player for this position since Julio Baptista and Eliseu can both fill in here.
In the center, Apono is a good all-round midfielder who you should keep. Enzo Maresca is decent when deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. Ignacio Camacho is your ball-winner. He is young but still boasts some experience having been around for a couple of years previously at Atletico Madrid. Sandro Silva is a squad player at best. He can be used as cover for Camacho. I suggest getting rid of him in the winter transfer window. Julio Baptista is probably your best midfielder, although he also functions well as a striker. It is up to you whether to use him as a AMC or a striker. Either way, the back-up for him is Fernando. Fernando is 31, but has decent stats and can be used to tutor some of your younger players. If you do wish to sell him, however, I recommend signing young Jonathan Viera from Las Palmas. If you plan on selling Maresca in January or any other time, I recommed Ruben Yttegard Jensen from Tromso for around €2M or Haris Medunjanin from M. Tel Aviv. Do keep in mind, however, that you have the very exciting Diego Buonannote out on loan at River Plate. He is back in time for next season and do be sure to use him on the wings.
View attachment 145604View attachment 145605View attachment 145606
STRIKERS
Malaga lack an out-and-out natural goalscorer. Rondon is a decent young target man, who needs time to fully realize his potential. Sebastian Fernandez is a good advanced forward with poor finishing while Juanmi is currently the best young prospect at the club. However, he is not yet ready to challenge in the first team. I'd suggest a loan spell to get him playing time. Even if you decide to play Baptista in attack, he still won't get you the goals you need to succeed.
Don't hold back in your investment here. Sign a striker who has the ability to score at least 15+ every season. My recommendations? Sign Kevin Gameiro. He does cost a hefty €6.5M but he is well worth it. If combined effectively with a target man like Rondon or Baptista, he can be a deadly predator in the opposition box. Other cheaper alternates are Christian Benitez (will take up a non-EU spot though) and Vaclav Kadlec - both €1.5M, Jan Chramosta - €2.5M, or the slightly more expensive Marco Ruben from Villarreal - €4.7M. If you do wish to go for Kadlec, make sure you move in very quickly since Man Utd tend to sign him almost all the time in my saves.
View attachment 145607
YOUNGSTERS:
Malaga don't really have any promising youngsters in their youth side except for Juanmi and Edu Ramos, who is currently out on loan. Take the time to personalize a training schedule for these two, get appropriate players to tutor them, and give them as much game time as possible. If you wish to bolster your youth ranks, I have one suggestion. Sign Daniel Aquino, who is only 19 and costs a mere €650k. Be sure to use your scouts to scour the continent in search of the finest young talent. In my opinion, it is always better to sign and bring through a cheap talented 16-year old rather than splash millions on a more experienced player.
TRANSFER SUMMARY
Suggested In's:
4. TACTICS
I recommend playing an attacking 4-2-4 at home with a counter-attacking/balanced 4-5-1/4-3-3 away from home. Raikan's perfect 4-3-3 tactic is one suggestion, although you should be able to find loads of other tactics to suit your style.
At home, you should probably line up with the two strikers, Gameiro and Baptista with support from the wings coming in the shape of Duda and Carcela, who are more than capable of getting goals themselves. In the middle Camacho is the holding midfielder whose main duty is to win the ball back and spread it to the more creative Maresca, who can then launch through balls. Away from home, I recommend putting in the extra midfielder by sacrificing a striker. This would most probably be Baptista. Get Apono in the middle alongside Maresca with Camacho as the Anchor man. Apono is not bad defensively, and he possesses a decent work rate, so he should be able to clean up the midfield and help break up opposition attacks while doing some attacking of his own at the other end when the opportunity allows.
View attachment 145610View attachment 145611
5. OTHER MATTERS
And that about wraps up the guide. Enjoy
Feedback and constructive criticism is most welcome.
View attachment 145614
2. BACKROOM STAFF: WHO TO KEEP, WHO TO RELEASE?
Malaga have a lot of useless staff who don't really contribute to your star rating while eating up wages. I recommend getting rid of every coach except for Enrique Ruiz, who is a decent 4-star fitness coach. However, the board will block the release of your assistant, Ruben Cousillas, goalkeeping coach Xabier, and fitness coach Jose Cabello. I suggest getting rid of these three later on once you have progressed in the game. You should also get rid of all the scouts at the club at the start since they are all pretty poor.
I recommend bringing in the following: (NOTE: Some of them may not be on your game depending on the database size and custom leagues you choose to load)
- Quintilano Lemos Filho (Ball Control Coach)
- Fernando Moraes (Goalkeeping Coach)
- Gian Nicola Bisciotti (Fitness Coach)
- Valentin David (Goalkeeping Coach)
- Massimo Bonnini (Defense Coach)
- Antony de Avila (Attack Coach)
- Joao Aroso (Fitness Coach)
- Txema Noriega (Scout)
- Javi Rico (Scout)
View attachment 145608
3. THE SQUAD
This is the Malaga side at the start of the game:
GOALKEEPERS:
Sorry, I couldn't get a similar picture for Asenjo and Galatto.
So basically, Malaga have Arnau, Ruben, Galatto, and Asenjo at the start. Asenjo should definitely be your first choice but he is out injured for 3-5 months at the start. The other three are only backup's at best. I would recommend using Arnau as keeper until Asenjo is fit while Galatto can be third choice. You can loan out Ruben for a small fee like €150k. If you feel Arnau is not good enough to cover for the first couple of months, I recommend signing Silviu Lung Jr. for about €900k.DEFENDERS:
Malaga's defense is ok-ish. Demichelis is your strongest centre-back and Gamez is your strongest full-back. I'd recommend getting rid of Helder Rosario. Despite the fact that he has impressive technical stats, he is getting old and is by no means a top player. You should be able to raise roundabout €2.6M for him. Ideally, I would also want to get rid of Malagueno and Stadsgaard but they have both just joined the club and hence they will be reluctant to leave even if you transfer list them. Weligton is quite decent and I suggest playing him alongside Demichelis in the center of your defense. As for the full backs, I suggest getting rid of Manolo Gaspar, who is getting old. You should be able to raise about €4.5M for him (See screenie below). Gamez should be your first choice right back. Manu Torres is one for the future. He is young but provides adequate cover for Gamez at the moment. Keep him. I suggest getting rid of Mtiliga in January when he has recovered from his injury. He has pretty poor defensive stats.
I recommend two signings for the defense: First, bring in Sebastian Coates who holds a Spanish passport and has a €2.8M release clause. A very promising prospect who might go on to become one of the best defenders in the league, Coates should temporarily be your back-up for Weligton and Demichelis before he is slowly integrated as a first team regular. I recommend getting him tutored by Demichelis. On the left flank, I suggest signing Roberto Canella from Sporting for €3.3M. He is a very impressive and reliable defender who is solid at the back and going forward too. If you don't want to sign him, I suggest Alex Sandro from Santos on a loan deal. He will, however, take up one of your three valuable non-EU spots.
View attachment 145612View attachment 145596View attachment 145597
MIDFIELDERS:
First things first, I suggest terminating Quincy's loan deal immediately. He is quite poor and on a €46,000-a-week deal. I would also let go of Eliseu, who is unimpressive too. But, since he has only joined the club recently, he will be reluctant to leave the club even if you transfer-list him. Hence, you can keep him as the back-up winger for either flank. As first choice right winger, I recommend signing Mehdi Carcela, who has insane attributes and is very cheap. He should cost you €2M max. Be sure to move quickly since he attracts a lot of interest early on in the game. Another alternative, if for some reason you don't wish to sign Carcela, is Carmelo, who is quite decent and should cost only €3M. On the left wing, Duda is undoubtedly your first choice. He may be 30 but he still has a lot to offer your side. He is a set-piece specialist and is an excellent crosser of the ball. You don't need to sign another player for this position since Julio Baptista and Eliseu can both fill in here.
In the center, Apono is a good all-round midfielder who you should keep. Enzo Maresca is decent when deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. Ignacio Camacho is your ball-winner. He is young but still boasts some experience having been around for a couple of years previously at Atletico Madrid. Sandro Silva is a squad player at best. He can be used as cover for Camacho. I suggest getting rid of him in the winter transfer window. Julio Baptista is probably your best midfielder, although he also functions well as a striker. It is up to you whether to use him as a AMC or a striker. Either way, the back-up for him is Fernando. Fernando is 31, but has decent stats and can be used to tutor some of your younger players. If you do wish to sell him, however, I recommend signing young Jonathan Viera from Las Palmas. If you plan on selling Maresca in January or any other time, I recommed Ruben Yttegard Jensen from Tromso for around €2M or Haris Medunjanin from M. Tel Aviv. Do keep in mind, however, that you have the very exciting Diego Buonannote out on loan at River Plate. He is back in time for next season and do be sure to use him on the wings.
View attachment 145604View attachment 145605View attachment 145606
STRIKERS
Malaga lack an out-and-out natural goalscorer. Rondon is a decent young target man, who needs time to fully realize his potential. Sebastian Fernandez is a good advanced forward with poor finishing while Juanmi is currently the best young prospect at the club. However, he is not yet ready to challenge in the first team. I'd suggest a loan spell to get him playing time. Even if you decide to play Baptista in attack, he still won't get you the goals you need to succeed.
Don't hold back in your investment here. Sign a striker who has the ability to score at least 15+ every season. My recommendations? Sign Kevin Gameiro. He does cost a hefty €6.5M but he is well worth it. If combined effectively with a target man like Rondon or Baptista, he can be a deadly predator in the opposition box. Other cheaper alternates are Christian Benitez (will take up a non-EU spot though) and Vaclav Kadlec - both €1.5M, Jan Chramosta - €2.5M, or the slightly more expensive Marco Ruben from Villarreal - €4.7M. If you do wish to go for Kadlec, make sure you move in very quickly since Man Utd tend to sign him almost all the time in my saves.
View attachment 145607
YOUNGSTERS:
Malaga don't really have any promising youngsters in their youth side except for Juanmi and Edu Ramos, who is currently out on loan. Take the time to personalize a training schedule for these two, get appropriate players to tutor them, and give them as much game time as possible. If you wish to bolster your youth ranks, I have one suggestion. Sign Daniel Aquino, who is only 19 and costs a mere €650k. Be sure to use your scouts to scour the continent in search of the finest young talent. In my opinion, it is always better to sign and bring through a cheap talented 16-year old rather than splash millions on a more experienced player.
TRANSFER SUMMARY
Suggested In's:
- Silviu Lung Jr. - €900k
- Roberto Canella - €3.3M
- Sebastian Coates - €2.8M
- Mehdi Carcela - €2M
- Kevin Gameiro - €6.5M
- Manolo Gaspar - €4.5M
- Ruben - loan fee - €150k
- Helder Rosario - €2.6M
4. TACTICS
I recommend playing an attacking 4-2-4 at home with a counter-attacking/balanced 4-5-1/4-3-3 away from home. Raikan's perfect 4-3-3 tactic is one suggestion, although you should be able to find loads of other tactics to suit your style.
At home, you should probably line up with the two strikers, Gameiro and Baptista with support from the wings coming in the shape of Duda and Carcela, who are more than capable of getting goals themselves. In the middle Camacho is the holding midfielder whose main duty is to win the ball back and spread it to the more creative Maresca, who can then launch through balls. Away from home, I recommend putting in the extra midfielder by sacrificing a striker. This would most probably be Baptista. Get Apono in the middle alongside Maresca with Camacho as the Anchor man. Apono is not bad defensively, and he possesses a decent work rate, so he should be able to clean up the midfield and help break up opposition attacks while doing some attacking of his own at the other end when the opportunity allows.
View attachment 145610View attachment 145611
5. OTHER MATTERS
- The board will generally grant you a couple of things: A feeder club to increase profile in another country so as to reap greater merchandising benefits, and improved training facilities.
- Jesus Gamez is the current captain with Arnau as his assistant. You would be foolish to replace Gamez as skipper. On the other hand, even though Arnau does have a good influence attribute, he might not play very often. You could replace him with Weligton. This is your choice.
- You might not achieve any silverware in the first season, but over time, with improvements to the squad and better tactical efficiency, your goal should be a top 6 finish at-least and the latter stages of the cup competitions.
- For training purposes, I highly recommend Dunc's training schedules, which I personally use all the time. You can also use IanC's training or KevyMatts's training or you could design your own schedules to custom-fit the requirements of your players. This is your choice, once again.
And that about wraps up the guide. Enjoy
Feedback and constructive criticism is most welcome.
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