Unlocking Potential: Standard Liège

[leckuno]

I've been looking for a new save to get me interested in Football manager again and hopefully Standard Leige is the team for me. I'm using the FM inside data update for the latest data updates and transfers.

As one of Belgium's biggest clubs, Standard Liège offers a unique blend of rich history and a commitment to youth development. Let's delve into what makes this club a fascinating choice for my challenge.

Club History

Founded in 1898, Royal Standard de Liège has a long and illustrious history in Belgian football. The club's iconic red and white colours have been a symbol of passion and perseverance for over a century. Standard Liège has enjoyed considerable success over the years, with a total of 10 Belgian First Division titles and 8 Belgian Cups to their name. The club's golden era came in the late 1960s and early 1970s under the legendary manager Ernst Happel, who led them to multiple domestic titles and European campaigns.

Standard Liège's home ground, the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, also known as Sclessin, has witnessed countless memorable moments and remains one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Belgian football. The passionate fanbase, known as "Les Rouches," is renowned for their unwavering support and vibrant matchday atmosphere.

Youth Development

One of the cornerstones of Standard Liège's philosophy is their dedication to nurturing young talent. The club's youth academy has produced several top-class players who have gone on to achieve great success both domestically and internationally. Some notable alumni include Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini, and Michy Batshuayi.

The academy boasts some exciting players who are nearly ready to make their mark on the first team. Developing these young talents and integrating them into my tactical setup will be crucial for long-term success.

Youth Facilities

Standard Liège's commitment to youth development is evident in their state-of-the-art training facilities. The club has invested significantly in their youth setup, ensuring that young players have access to top-notch infrastructure. As manager, I'll have the opportunity to further enhance these facilities, by adding the bests coaches and medical staff to match the facilities.

Challenges and Opportunities

Taking charge of Standard Liège presents both challenges and opportunities. The competitive nature of the Belgian Pro League demands strategic squad rotation which will allow us to give youth players a chance in the first team. One major challenge will be the first team squad though which we'll get into in our next post when looking at the squad. I'll also be looking to unlock another golden generation for Belgium to see if they can step up on the major stage this time and get some silverware.
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[leckuno]

The Boards Vision

The board have set our their 5 year plan for us and they never actually seem to expect us to be challenging for the title and just want us mid table which I'm not going to stand for as we all want that title and the Champions League spot that goes with it. They even only expect us to challenge for a cup in our 3rd season and then it seems to drop off. The one thing we do agree on though is that we want to have the best youth setup in the country.

The Supporters

As expected the supporters are more interested in getting one over the rival teams which could be tough with the quality of the teams but we'll give it our best shot. They also want to see players come through the youth system as well which I will be looking to do.

Finances

Well the bank balance is looking amazing at first glance as we sit with over £100m in the bank and have a small transfer budget and over £30,000 a week in wages available as well

After diving into the finances a little deeper its not as rosy at it seems as we have a huge debt to repay with most of it being paid back over the current season with us having to make monthly repayments of over £3million which will put a huge dent in our bank balance.

The Squad

First look at the squad there is some talent there but then you notice that we actually only have 10 permanent players at the club with 2 of them being on loan so this season we only have 8 available to us with the rest being on loan. It means our 2nd season will be a real challenge as we have to do a complete rebuild. It will allow us to bring youth players through easily though as a path to the first team is going to be critical to our goals.

Youth Players

We have a couple of prospects in the youth teams that we will let step up this season to get the best coaching along with game time to help their development.

Noah Makembo-Ntemo

Ntemo is the best of the lot here and he'll fit our team perfectly and hopefully he can fulfil his potential and make the step up and improve the tactical side with plenty of training and could even be a future captain of the team.

Rabby Mateta Pepa

Pepa is the next player we will look to integrate with the first team as he already looks like a very capable midfielder but has plenty of work to do on the physical side of his game.

Lucas Noubi

Noubi is the final player and he already looks like a decent defender even if he is a bit small at only 5'11 but we'll look to get the best out of him while we can.

Season Preview

We are seen as very capable it seems as the media expect us to finish 6th this season which I would be very happy with as it provides us a great building block for the future seasons.

Next we will look at preseason and transfers if we're able to bring anybody in to improve what we have at the moment but we will be looking to the long term as if we're spending cash they need to be pivotal for next season as well.​

 

[MT55]

Good luck with Standard Liege. Just had a quick google and they haven't won the league in 15 years! I remember them being one of the best teams in Belgium growing up.

 

[leckuno]

Preseason

A good preseason here as we record 5 wins out of 7 with the only loses coming to bigger teams than us and we did well against Newcastle so there were positives from that game as well.

Transfers

During preseason there was only 1 player leaving the club and that was Mate Simicic who was never going to get near the first team so it made sense for nearly £1million

There have been no incomings so far as nobody has met our high standards for coming in yet.

August

Its actually an alright start to life in Belgium bar the big games against Gent and Anderlecht as we look to see how good all these loan players are going to be for us this season​

 

[leckuno]

The Start

Standard Liège v KV Kortrijk

It wasn't the most glamorous start for our league campaign here as we really struggled in the opening 45 minutes to get the ball forward. We made a tweak at half time and it let Camara cut inside and fire home before we finally took another chance right at the end.

Sint-Truiden v Standard Liège

2 very late goals in 2 games for Zeqiri as the former Brighton striker does enough to get us the 3 points here.

Standard Liège v OH Leuven

A much better performance this time as we get off to a flyer thanks to great strike from Amani opens the scoring as we give our most confident performance to date.

AA Gent v Standard Liège

Gent are expected to finish above us in the league so I'm not too disheartened around this result as we did our best and it just wasn't to be tonight

Standard Liège v Anderlecht

What a game here as Makembo-Ntemo makes his debut for the club and what a debut it is for the 16 year old as he opens the scoring in the opening 10 minutes for us. Badamosi then nets the 2nd to secure a big win for us over our rivals.

KV Mechelen v Standard Liège

We were really made to work for it here even when they went down to 10 men as we weren't able to take advantage to put the game to bed but got lucky with a poor challenge which Eckert was able to then convert from the spot.

League

A very solid start to the season so far as we sit 2nd based o n the number of goals scored, lets see how long we can keep up with Genk for.

September

The international break here means we only have 3 games but the games against Brugge and Antwerp will really let us where we are as a team.​

 

[leckuno]

September

Standard Liège v KV Westerlo

What a game for our two 16 year olds here as they both started the game and both took their opportunities with goals. Makembo-Ntemo was the stand out player though as he got the assist as well.

Club Brugge v Standard Liège

Out worst performance to date here as we have a terrible opening half hour as Club Brugge just ran us ragged here as we had no answers to them at all. Zeqiri does seem to be making a name for himself with these late goals as this is 3rd now.

Standard Liège v Royal Antwerp

We came into this game with our confidence low but Zeqiri gets us off to a flyer but sadly we weren't able to take any other chances and conceded right at the end of the first half. We were able to keep Antwerp quiet though in the 2nd half securing ourselves a point.

League

We've dropped down to 5th but we're only 3 points off of top spot. The main aim though is to stay in the top 6 come towards the end of the season to make sure we're in the championship group fighting for the European places

October

With more international games its another short month but we do finally enter the Croky Cup in the 7th round with a very nice draw against an amateur team.​

 

[leckuno]

October

Royal Charleroi v Standard Liège

Makembo-Ntemo has really stepped up since making the starting XI and he is the one positive from this performance as he outshines the rest of the team to score a great solo goal.

Standard Liège v Dender EH

Its taken 4 gams but we finally record a win as Badamosi was unplayable today upfront knocking in 4 goals.

Union SG v Standard Liège

Another defeat here as they are starting to all add up but we did well to stay in the game but sadly in the 2nd half we had to do our best to stop them and weren't able to move the ball as freely as we'd like to get it up the pitch.

Croky Cup 7th Round
Standard Liège v Hamoir

We rotated some players here to give players a run out but it was the regulars who did the work for us in the first half but again Makembo-Ntemo stood out with 2 goals and an assist.

League

Another two defeats and we somehow still stay in 5th spot thanks to other results around us. It has let the teams below us get a lot closer though.

November

A big game against Genk before two very winnable games for us either side of yet another international break​

 

[leckuno]

November

KRC Genk v Standard Liège

Well it looked like we were on to an easy win here after taking a 2 goal lead in 17 minutes and then it took a horrible turn after 40 minutes as they managed to score two goals in 4 minutes to pull it back. We went out in the 2nd half on the back foot and sadly they took their chance and it won the game in the end.

Standard Liège v Cercle Brugge

A much needed win here as we look to steady the ship as our form has been patchy as Ilay Camara gets a brace off the right wing.

Beerschot v Standard Liège

Makembo-Ntemo get us off to a strong start with another goal for the young attacking midfielder as he has now cemented himself as a starter for us. We then put the foot down and go into a 4 goal lead before they pull a goal back and then we score again. We did get a fright at the end though with them pulling back another 2 goals so we're lucky there wasn't anymore time here.

League

We've dropped down to 6th here now as Club Brugge have started to open a lead at the top of the table.

December

Its going to be a busy month for us with some big games here along with a big game in the cup as well so we're going to have to try and rotate over the first 3 games to keep players fit.​

 

[leckuno]

December

Standard Liège v Sint-Truiden

What a 5 minutes of football here as all the action happened, it was a really boring game for the rest of the 90 minutes though as neither team really had any chances.

Croky Cup 8th Round
Royal Charleroi v Standard Liège

We went inti this game expecting the worse as Charleroi have been performing well in the league but Badamosi got us off to a fast start and we kept getting forward and into the right positions as Makembo-Ntemo was able to slot home from a couple of yards out.

KV Kortrijk v Standard Liège

A disappointing loss here with Kortrijk are below us in the table but we'll keep going

OH Leuven v Standard Liège

What a fortunate goal for us here as a terrible pass back goes awry and Ruvalcaba is able to pounce on it and round the keeper and slot it home.

A very

Standard Liège v AA Gent

They were the first team to beat us this season and we got our revenge here with a good win here.

Anderlecht v Standard Liège

What a win for us here as we mange to do the double over Anderlecht with a commanding win to show what we're made of. The longstanding worry though is the fact that most of our team are made up of loan players.

League

We've jumped up the table after a good month with winning games against the teams around us but are still 9 points off the top of the table but the most important thing for us is that we're 11 points ahead of 7th.

Transfer Budget Increase

We still have a considerable amount of money in the bank and with that the board have boosted our transfer budget by £20million. I still by my approach in the last window though and will only sign players with a long term view and not a quick fix

January

We have a small winter break this month which will allow our players a rest and also allow us to see if we can do any business in the transfer window early on. We then stat off with a double header against KV Mechelen but the cup game is the most important this month for us.​

 

[leckuno]

January

Transfers Out

We had one outgoing this window and it was a big one as our main right back was poached by Dortmund but at least we do make a good amount of money from him

The American was our only natural right back so we will need to replace him with somebody just as good before the end of the winter break.

Transfers In

Warren Kamanzi

We acted quickly and moved straight for Kamanzi as we signed him from Toulouse for just a fraction of what we got from the Fossey deal and he has the pace we want in that position which will help him get forward.

Lucas Assadi

With a lack of permament wingers in the team I thought it was important to bring somebody in who fitted with what we're looking to build here and Assadi fits that brief perfectly. He for some reason picked to come to Belgium over Manchester United and Celtic as he joins form Club Universidad de Chile from £3million

Jovan Šljivić

Our scouts recommended Šljivić and he looks like he could develop into a decent midfielder, while he isn't the fittest then that shouldn't matter if he can dictate play in the middle of the park. He joins from Crvena Zvezda for £4.5 million

Corky Cup Quarter Final
KV Mechelen v Standard Liège

What a game for us here as we get off to a flyer again and Kamanzi makes an instant impact with the opening goal on his debut just 4 minutes into the game and we never look back as we canter into the semi final.

Standard Liège v KV Mechelen

Well with confidence high after the last game then its great to see a complete repeat of the previous result as we're now living rent free in Mechelen's head.

Croky Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
Union SG v Standard Liège

We knew this was going to be a tough game as Union SG have always been right around us in the league and we did just enough here when they equalised to hold a small advantage for the 2nd leg.

KV Westerlo v Standard Liège

Back to league action and we run riot here as Bulat has the game of his career so far with an excellent hat-trick from midfield.

Standard Liège v Club Brugge

Club Brugge were just too strong here and this is why they are sitting top of the table.

League

We hold onto 2nd spot here but Brugge have now taken their lead to 12 points and we now only have a 9 point lead over 7th now.

February

A double header at home again Union SG to finish the month off but all games will be vital as all games bar the Dender EH match are for teams around us.
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[leckuno]

February

Royal Antwerp v Standard Liège

Well I'd hoped for a better result here but Antwerp were just too strong for us here with Janssen muscling our defenders out the way to score a header.

Standard Liège v Royal Charleroi

We bounce straight back with a win here as Makembo-Ntemo gets his first goal since the start of January.

Dender EH v Standard Liège

We knew this was going to be an easy game and we delivered here as Assadi managed an assist along with his two goal.

Standard Liège v Union SG

A great goal from Zeqiri to get us off to a very strong start but in the 2nd half we came out a different team and let Union SG walk over us

Croky Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
Standard Liège v Union SG

We do enough here to make sure that we reach our first final for the club!!!!!

League

We hold onto 2nd place so far but Union SG are right on or tails and its looking like Club Brugge have an uncatchable lead already but with the way the Belgian league works there is a still a small chance.

March

A difficult month here for us as we need to keep our form up to make sure we stay in the top 6 positions.​

 

[leckuno]

March

Standard Liège v KRC Genk

A tough game and we did ourselves no favours here with giving away the penalty and then made it even more difficult for ourselves with the red card.

Cercle Brugge v Standard Liège

The goal right on the stroke of halftime really took the confidence out of us here against a team still within touching distance of the top 6 and they were the much better team here.

Standard Liège v Beerschot

I really fancied a result here but the last 2 games has left us low on confidence and it showed here as we really struggled to move the ball through the channels to get the ball forward.

League

It was a poor 3 games for us and we have dropper down to 4th now, top 6 was the aim though so we'll see how the rest of the season goes now.

Championship Group

The points have been halved and now the top 6 teams play each other another twice and all of a sudden Club Brugge are in reaching distance again for all of us.

Youth Intake

What a youth intake and what has the potential to be a golden generation for the club but we'll be the judge of that over the next few seasons to see how the players develop

Nio Sys

Sys looks like he is a decent attacking midfielder and with the correct training and opportunities he could one day make the first team

Andrea Morelli

In my opinion Morelli is the pick of the bunch and even though he's not great in the AMR role just now it can be changes. His one downfall in my eyes though is his natural fitness.

David Juma

Another very good AMR for us as we are going to be spoiled. We do need to work on his pace though in training to get him fast enough to take defenders on and get on the end of long balls forward.

Etienne Julien

He has the potential to be a back up LB for us I'd say and he will be given chances with the reserve team no doubt over the next season or two.

Fredrich Kabeya

A good versatile defender here who is a very rough diamond just now but hopefully we can get the best out of him.

April

Our form from last month really needs to improve here and its going to be a proper test for us seeing out the rest of the season against the other top teams in the country.​

 

[leckuno]

April

Anderlecht v Standard Liège

We really needed a good result to turn our form around and its exactly what we got here as Sutalo's goal was a phenomenal solo effort.

Standard Liège v Royal Antwerp

What a start for us as its amazing what a confidence boost can do as we score two goals within the opening 7 minutes and we don't stop there as we record a big win.

Club Brugge v Standard Liège

Only a draw but its a huge result for us here away to the league leaders.

Standard Liège v KRC Genk

We just keep winning at the moment as we pick up another 3 points.

Union SG v Standard Liège

We struggled in the last couple of games against Union SG in the league but thanks to a bad challenge in the box then Zeqiri is able to slot home before Makembo-Ntemo doubled our lead.

Royal Antwerp v Standard Liège

We record the double over Antwerp this month as we go the full month unbeaten.

League

A good month and we're back up to 2nd and only 6 points off of top spot now, with only 4 games to go can we somehow pull off a title win?

May

A big 4 games in the league for us here as we have an outside chance to finishing top but our main aim will be the cup final as its our most likely chance of silverware.​