I'm in 2023, so I need to post screenshots. I have very few real people actually in and around my first team squad anymore (and they're obvious).
Goalkeeper:
Micheal Morton
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I've only got one player here. I don't need another, he's yet to get an injury. Came through the youth ranks, back in the first season, along with one other player on this list. It was a good year, in my intake. England's first choice goalkeeper since Joe Hart broke his arm, Morton is a very solid option in between the sticks, and will no doubt remain so for at least another decade.
Central Defense:
Marcel Bakker
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Eder Alvarez Balanta
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Borja Martin
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Andrezinho
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Marquinhos
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This is, in all likelihood, the second strongest area of the side, with our 5th choice defender being Marquinhos. Andrezinho was one of two players in this squad who came from a fruitful partnership with America RN, who were my feeder club for 4 years. The three heavyweights, however, are Borja Martin, Eder Alvarez Balanta and Marcel Bakker. I've got quite a bit of guilt over Martin, he is the second most expensive player in Newcastle history. I was given 80 million pounds to spend, and spent 60 of it on this guy. I've not yet spent more than 25 million pounds on a single player since. He's probably third choice right now, but he's challenging Balanta for that first choice. Balanta needs no introduction, of course, but he is outshone by Marcel Bakker. Bought from Feyeenord for 17.5 million in the third season, he's proved the best investment I've made on Football Manager. Ever.
Right back:
Joseph Fall
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Sebastian Kowalewski
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I have the best right hand side in world football, and part of that reason is the team's vice captain, Joseph Fall. He is the highest valued defender in the world, and second highest valued overall. He came second in the world golden ball less than a month ago, and that is the highest I have ever seen a defender reach. He narrowly loses out on the greatest investment prize due to Bakker's contribution in big games, and Bakker's lack of injury proneness, but he is fantastic in both aspects regardless. He has averaged between 40 and 45 games a season for the last 4 seasons, and is the greatest right back ever. The closest comparison would be a mix of Maldini and Roberto Carlos. Not quite as good offensively as Carlos, but that's the only complaint I have, and when that is the only complaint I have about a full back, I'm satisfied. I brought in Kowalewski as backup and a potential challenger for a first team role, but he is eclipsed by Fall.
Left Back:
Gustavo Kasburg
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Luke Shaw
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Kasburg is as good offensively as Roberto Carlos, but not quite as good defensively as Maldini. That's pretty much a full summary of him. Unfortunately, he is a bit more injury prone than Fall is. He too popped up in the first season, just like Morton did, but he did not sign for us until the season before last. His history page reads as a 'world's giants' list of clubs, with Boca, Barcelona, Dortmund, PSG, Barcelona again and us having paid his wages at some point in the last eight years. Shaw is the best possible backup, homegrown, gets enough playing time to be satisfied, non-controversial, and a fantastic player against smaller teams, due to his superior attacking stats, in comparison to his defensive stats. Despite this difference, I would have no problems with starting him in the Champion's League Final, should Kasburg be out of form or injured in some way. Keeps Kasburg on his toes, and when one doesn't perform, the other will take their place for a few weeks.
Defensive Midfield:
Dean Butterworth
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Vladimir Petrov
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I wasn't certain whether or not to classify this, or to include these two in the Central Midfield section, but when I'm playing against the likes of Real Madrid and the like, I do play with a tactic involving Defensive Midfielders, and when these two are played in the center of the park, they do play a more defensive role anyway (usually either a CM (D) or a DLP (S/D)). Butterworth is first choice here, he was bought from Southampton at age 18, and turned 19 not too long later. As a result, he fulfills one of the helpful 'trained in club' criterion, and is essentially an English, 24 year old Pirlo, without the free-kicks. He acts as a Regista or DLP, often with a 'more direct passes' instruction, and rarely finishes a game without 100 completed passes, with rarely fewer then 5 key passes. Petrov was brought in very highly rated, from a Manchester City squad that had an excess of central midfielders, but he has not managed to replicate what I expected from him. Useful backup he is, but he is not the new Yaya Toure I had been hoping for. Still one of the best players in the world at his role.
Central Midfield.
Paul Pogba
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Dmitry Svezhov
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Max Stone
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Leo
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This is definitely my strongest area. There are two or three others who are in and around the first team who are not on this list because otherwise the list becomes too bloated. The only name you are likely to know here is Pogba. He is world class, and was recently such an inspiration to a french side lacking Fall, that he ended up guiding them to a world cup by himself, nearly. No introductions needed, you can see that he is as good as always. Svezhov is his partner in crime in the center of the park, with the two of them bossing every game they play together, in spite of Svezhov's tiny size. Svezhov has been at my club for two and a half seasons now, and was a bargain at 22.5 million (release clause my DoF spotted). Since he arrived and joined forces with Pogba, I have yet to lose a game in which they are playing together. Next is a player who had to be retrained to play this far back, and I can't decide where is better for him, here or in the AM slot. He performs in both, and should probably actually have more England caps. His lack of goals for England can be explained due to the deeper role in a more rigid setup he has to take playing internationally. He came through our youth ranks, and is a model professional, with no tutoring. A fantastic prospect. Lastly on this list of Central midfielders is the other player who came from out partnership with America RN. Leo. With fantastic technical stats, and not much focus on the physical aspect of the game, he will be a top, top player for years to come. He is more suited to being slightly deeper role, but he has a slightly annoying PPM that I can't seem to shake of 'runs with ball down the right flank'. He came with it, but I didn't think that he'd be suited to life on the wings. When you consider that the two DMs I talked about, Butterworth and Petrov are both CMs as well, and are very good defenders, the middle of the park must be thought of as the strongest area of the team.
Advanced Midfielders.
Mario Gotze
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Micheal Jung
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Bare in mind that Stone and Leo are both adept at this role, Mario Gotze and Micheal Jung are both very good options, with good technical abilities and a good workrate. They are good all rounders, but in comparison to the rest of the squad, they do not appear to have anything that sets themselves at that level. Very very good players. World class? No.
Right Wingers.
Adnan Januzaj
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Darryl Ramos
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Right, now Adnan Januzaj does play through the center about half of the time, but I'm including him in the right wingers section because it is where he performs best. And what needs to be said about those stats. With him and Fall advancing down the same side of the pitch, I often feel sorry for whoever my opponent's left back is. He is the highest valued player in the world, has won the golden ball and world player of the year award three times in a row. The one downside was his cost, 70 million in the third season, making him the most expensive player in Newcastle's history, and third only behind Ronaldo and Bale to Madrid in the all time charts. Ramos is a very good player, and is commonly my first choice on the right flank, either due to me playing wingers further back or due to Januzaj playing through the center. He played 2 seasons for Everton before joining us on deadline day of the previous season for a 10 million pound release clause in his contract. I was initially skeptical of bringing him in, but he's proved me wrong. I'm working to improve his finishing, but it is currently the only flaw in his game.
Left Wingers.
Christian Vecchiarelli
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Raheem Sterling
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Gotze can cover this position too, but Vecchiarelli is my first choice, easily. I bought him when he turned 18, thinking that I could use him to fill the Home Grown Status requirements in a few years, played him in some cup games, and have hardly been able to bench him since. He was the left winger in the team of the year a couple weeks ago, and won the European golden boy at the same time, as well as coming in third for world golden ball, behind Januzaj and (somehow) Raheem Sterling himself. Sterling hasn't really played all that much for me, and has been in and out of the side, covering multiple positions, but not really getting a run in the first team. I have no idea how he did so well in the Golden Ball.
Strikers.
Joseph Owona
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Nana Addae
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Florain Schroder
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This is another strong area of mine, and I'm limiting my strikers to my three best. Schroder is taking his chances in cup competitions, when he gets them, but not performing when I'm giving him a chance to in the league. Fortunately, I have both Addae and Owona, the two best strikers in world football. After admiring Owona's stats, take a look at Addae's international record. Which is better? I go for Owona, but Addae never fails to impress. Addae came in the first intake as well as Morton and Leo. Such a good intake for me. Addae, in spite of not being first choice striker in my tactic, has beaten the team captain Owona to the World Team of the Year twice in a row now, despite Owona scoring more. Oh well, far worse problems to have, right?
