Anderlecht-SMW

Starting playing Soccer Manager was one of the best things I have ever done. I love football, know a lot about a number of players and if it’s possible, I watch it every day.

When you become a manager, there are for me, 2 important things to consider: Which club do you want to manage and do you want quick success and trophies.

Choosing my first club.

I’m have been playing for 3 and a half years now with Anderlecht, which is the club of my heart. But why did I choose to start managing them? They were playing in division 4 and did not have any big name players. The reason was simple. I wanted the challenge of starting at the bottom and leading them to the first division. I had some funds available for buying players, which was important, particularly when you take a club at the bottom. You need to be in a position to buy better players, so that you can begin your journey to the top.

Trophies

When you start the game, the ultimate aim is off course to win a lot of trophies. So, If you take for example Barcelona (If you can find one) you are sure that you can win a trophy in the first 3 seasons, if all the good players have not been sold. But I wanted the challenge of creating my own starting 11, with a key focus on looking for young prospects who could hopefully develop into top players after a few years. That of course means that it will take time, but it is very satisfying and makes you smile when you see these players ratings increase. Trophies are important, but they are not the only objective in my life as a manager. Of course, after playing 3 seasons, I won division 2, 3 and 4.  I have to say that it did give me a boost when I led my team to the top tier and I became a manager in division 1.

How do I play?

I’m not a manager who changes my team’s tactics every week. I don’t remember why I changed the first time, I think it was after struggling in division 1. 7 seasons of the same thing. You will probably think that it’s not a good thing to stick with the same tactics, but if you are winning, you stay in Division 1 and if you win a cup, and your mind isn’t for changing. Now I’m playing with different tactics. Also with other teams I’m changing more. If I play against a strong team I go more defensive, and you know what? 10/12 was the result. Before that is was 0/12. I’m still learning.

It’s also important to buy young players. Don’t wait for them to become famous. Other teams will buy them and you will have to pay a lot more for them. You can buy 10 youngsters, but only 1 off them may be in your team later. It’s always important to be on the lookout for new young talents.

Last season with Anderlecht was the best I have ever experienced! Not only did I win division 2, but I also won the cup for the second time and experienced my first success in the SMFA competition! It a similar situation to what Leicester have achieved this season. It’s like a miracle that I have managed to win the hardest competition. In the semi-final I defeated Manchester United (2nd in division 1) and then there was the final against Atletico, who were the winners of division 1. I was already happy to be in the final with my little club. It was like winning the Champions league in real life. A great feeling. And that gives me the drive to look at my club on a daily basis, searching for new talents and hoping that in a few seasons i can win another trophy.

About the author – Maarten Bruneel

Maarten lives in Belgium and has been playing Soccer Manager Worlds for three and a half years. He has a love for football in general and supports Anderlecht

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Youri-Tielemans

It comes as no surprise to see his name on our young talents blog – Youri Tielemans! This boy celebrates his 19th birthday on May 7th and despite his young age, he is already being tracked by some of Europe’s elite clubs.

His talent was clear to see from the age of 6, when Anderlecht signed him for their youth team. He became a regular in the team and at the tender age of just 16 years old, he played in Champions League for the first time against Olympiacos.

Which club will sign him? When he was 16 years old West Bromwich, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg were interested in him. But now that he has become a regular in Anderlecht starting line up, the likes of Bayern Munchen, Juventus, Arsenal, Manchester United as well as a host of other top clubs are hoping to sign him.

Youri Tielemans is a fantastic young player and shows that you can put faith in youth on Soccer Manager.

So what is it that this young prospect has, that has made these clubs fall in love with him?

He’s skillful, possesses very good short and long range passing ability, and has an incredible first touch. He has good vision and possesses the balance, strength and tackling ability needed to be effective in a number of different positions. He usually plays as a central midfielder but because of his incredible versatility, he has also been deployed in offensive and defensive roles.

Mentally he’s very mature, and over the years his coaches have stated that he learns from mistakes and plays the role of leader in the dressing room.

There are some areas of his game that he has to improve on. His lack of attention when his team is not in possession and  lack of passing precision when he is put under pressure from the opposition are two key areas. He also needs to work on his  shooting and finishing abilities. As he’s not a forward, he doesn’t need to score a lot of goals in his role. His main task in the role of playmaker is to control the play and provide assists for his teammates. However if he wishes to become a more complete player, which he is fully capable of, he would need  improve these areas of his game.

He is offensive by nature, but because of the physical nature of his game, it would seem that he would be better deployed in defensive roles.

All of his weaknesses are easy to fix and as the latest member of Belgium’s golden generation, the foundations are in place for Tielemans to hopefully develop and become one of the best midfielders in Europe.

About the author – Marco Santanche

Marco was born in Rome and supports Inter because of Luiz Nazario Da Lima Ronaldo. He is a Brazilian citizen because of his father’s roots. He played futsal for several years, even in the FIGC (Italian FA) as a winger, playmaker and striker. He is now studying for a degree in finance.

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Romelu-Lukaku

It is easy to forget that Romelu Lukaku is just 22 years of age.

The current campaign is the centre-forward’s fifth in English football, and before that he also spent two full seasons playing for Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League. The striker has already made 197 league appearances in his career and a further 50 in domestic and continental cup competitions, scoring a total of 103 goals for first club Anderlecht, Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and current side Everton. He is also in possession of 41 international caps, with 11 strikes to his name for Belgium.

It is a remarkable level of experience for someone so young, particularly as all but one of Lukaku’s career league outings have come in the top division. It could also be argued that, because many assume Lukaku is older than he is, they judge him by higher standards than would ordinarily be applied to youngsters in their early 20s.

There is no doubting, though, that the Belgian is a player of exceptional potential. Lukaku has already become one of the Premier League’s top strikers, with seven goals in 12 appearances this season evidence of his goalscoring potential.

His all-round game has come on leaps and bounds, too. In previous years, Lukaku was widely criticised for his poor first touch and underdeveloped back-to-goal play, with his inability to hold the ball up and bring others into the game often leading to his team’s attacks breaking down.

It is an element of his skill set that the 22-year-old has clearly been working on, however; Lukaku loses the ball a lot less easily these days, with his assist count (four already this term compared to five in the whole of 2014/15, six in 2013/14 and four in 2012/13) evidence of the improvements he has made when it comes to combining with team-mates.

It is often said that even the most talented young players need to spend time in the gym to bulk up and avoid being knocked off the ball too easily. With Lukaku, the opposite has been the case: even as a teenager, the physical side of his game was already well-developed, with the technical part the one that needed working on. Pleasingly, the striker’s showings for Everton this term suggest that the latter area of his game is quickly catching up with the former.

“He was raw [when Everton signed him] but you look at potential and we invested heavily,” Toffees manager Roberto Martinez said of the £28 million man after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham United, in which Lukaku found the back of the net after rounding goalkeeper Adrian and slotting the ball home.

“We could see the type of player he could be and his mentality. He is driven by landmarks and those [goal] statistics are very important. There are no complications and he is getting better. He is very receptive and for me he is a dream.”

Martinez also joked that the burly Belgian was actually worth £55 million after reports emerged earlier that day that the Merseysiders had slapped a £45 million price tag on his head. It remains to be seen whether another club will ever deem the striker worth that amount, but his recent performances have certainly increased his value and, at 22, Lukaku has enough time on his side to get even better.

About the Author – Greg Lea

Freelance football writer. Work published by FourFourTwo, The Guardian, World Soccer, Goal, The National, Squawka, Eurosport, The Blizzard + others.

Twitter @GregLeaFootball

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Aleksandar-Mitrovic

His name echoed from the terraces straight in his debut game, but what exactly did Aleksandar Mitrovi? do to deserve such an openhearted support from the Newcastle faithful after only a handful of Premier League games?

Steve McClaren wowed to bring revolution to Tyneside.

He succeeded. Despite being considered an old-fashioned soccer manager, during some 130 days of his mandate so far, Newcastle boss has implemented some modern footballing traits is his team’s play, at the same time investing in discipline, refurbished training regime and playing style. But most of all, he invested in bringing fresh blood to St James’ Park.

More than £50 million for the club of Newcastle’s (current) stature was more than hefty, and it showed a drastic change in club’s policy. Of all the players that were added during summer, name of the Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovi? stood out from the beginning. With Charlie Austin waiting for the Premier League clubs with his arms wide open, more than few Newcastle fans believed that McClaren had made a mistake in bringing an undisciplined youngster from Eastern Europe instead of the experienced Premier League striker.

Their doubts were well argued. From his first steps as the professional footballer, Aleksandar Mitrovi? has been followed by stigma, disbelief, and criticism. However, his convincing displays at Partizan and later at Belgian giants Anderlecht, where he scored 44 goals in 90 games, were strong counterarguments. Part Drogba, part Materazzi, this self-proclaimed Serbian Mario Balotelli was more interested in outrageous hairstyles and on-pitch antics than in his football at the beginning of his career, and Newcastle fans who knew their way around Serbian football simply knew what to expect.

But Steve McClaren succeeded in what many before him failed to accomplish. It took him some polishing work as two yellow cards in Mitrovic’s opening two games for Newcastle and then a red one against Arsenal are there to confirm it, but he managed to contain him. Goals against Manchester City and Norwich most recently are not something to go by, but statistics are hiding one important aspect of Mitrovic’s instant influence – the excitement.

This 21-year-old is an exotic specimen which is well recognized by the Newcastle family.

“From the second you see his name on the teamsheet your body seems to be overcome by a certain element of excitement and nervousness as you count down the minutes until kick off. There’s a roaring fire within his belly which simply cannot be taught, and from that fire comes a burning passion to drive forward and make a positive impact on the field, dragging his team-mates with him along the way”, an ecstatic fan wrote in an open ‘love letter’ to Aleksandar Mitrovi? after the Norwich game, published by gallowgateshots.com.

Hidden between these lines there lies the real reason behind infatuation with Mitrovi?. Newcastle fans have long suffered with their unconvincing attacking line. Looking back over a ten-year period and the last season Alan Shearer played at St James’ Park (2005-2006), none of the players who wore the Newcastle shirt managed to get out of the legend’s shadow. Michael Owen did his best, so did Obafemi Martins, Shola Ameobi. Marko Viduka tried, Andy Carroll was sold just when he was supposed to’ explode’. Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba are players of different kind.

Mere glimpse of Mitrovi?’s ability was more than enough to bring back fine memories of fans’ most loved one, of the legend. Their search was over, disbelief promptly transferred to hope and eagerness. They want it to be him, they want this bad boy from Serbia to be the striker Shearer once was. Not the false nine, not the wide player, but real, genuine striker.

Someone who will make his aerial presence known, someone to hold the ball firmly to his feet, someone to blaze in the net – near, far, from every angle possible. Someone brave.

With the right guidance the Serbian striker could indeed be their man, and Mitrovi? is by no means afraid of accepting the label of Shearer’s successor. But the fans have put all their hopes upon the young man’s shoulders and they must also take the responsibility to themselves. Immature, juvenile and obstinate, Aleksandar Mitrovi? is unpredictable in nature. Wild. Easily broken.

But handled with care, he can fulfill their dreams, and his own.

About the author – Miloš Markovic

Sports journalist from Serbia, Editor in Cheif at Sportske.net and contributor to FutbolgradLive. Worked with Inforstrada and FIFA covering Serbia’s international games during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

twitter: @milosemarkovicu

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Rise-of-Belgium

It wasn’t that long ago when the only Belgian name mentioned in relation to a transfer deal in the Premier League was Bosman. It’s easy to forget that prior to the Belgian revolution in English, and wider European, football, the only noticeable names to play for Premier League sides were Jonathan Blondel, Luc Nilis and Branko Strupar. Throw in Philippe Albert, perhaps the best of the early Belgian imports, and the contrast between the 90s and noughties in Belgian football is stark.

By noughties, we of course mean recent history, perhaps 2008 onwards. Much has been made of the abundance of talent emerging from the Low Country as they finally secured qualification for a major tournament finals for the first time in over a decade last year.

Many will ponder how this sudden success has come about? Success is, however, a gradual process. Belgian football didn’t wake up one morning and realise it had serious talent coming through the ranks. There was a clear emphasis placed on the innovation and development of coaching techniques across the national game, particularly at academies that had the resources to invest in youth.

After the golden generation – not a term I personally enjoy using, but best sums up the feeling in Belgium for this particular generation of players – of the 1980s and early-90s, Paul van Himst and latterly Georges Leekens set about devising a training programme that would be widely available to clubs across the Kingdom. Van Himst, a playing icon in his day, was manager during the twilight and post-period of the Pfaff-Gerets-Scifo era, thus inheriting a football power on the way out.

His philosophy was simple, and it mirrored his education of the game during 16 fruitful years at Anderlecht. His tally of 233 goals in 457 games tells only half the story; van Himst was a pioneer, encouraging the development of technical football, incisive passing and countering at pace during his career. He played ahead of his time. Former manager Pierre Sinibaldi famously said:

“Paul is as quick as Pele. He thinks as fast too. His only weakness? He’s Belgian.”

Van Himst adopted this forward thinking and creative philosophy during his managerial career. He spoke of quicker transitions during his early years as national team manager and predicted a future game based on the speed of countering. Furthermore, he urged Belgian academies to coach these principles. Gone were the days, for van Himst at least, of controlled built-up attacks. He wanted to see a greater emphasis on speed of play and technical efficiency.

Perhaps the latter of the two points was a natural progression. Belgian football has always been synonymous with technical players. A reversion back to the aforementioned Belgian players brings together one telling attribute; technique. Even Albert, a predominantly defensive player, was astute in either central defence or midfield.

Leekens matured the early van Himst philosophy. Another legend in his playing days, Leekens was a highly regarded coach within national circles having lived a nomadic existence since retiring from playing in 1984. The reality of his first appointment to the national team role can be summed up in one word: underachievement. While Belgium qualified for World Cup 98, they finished a disappointing third in the group stage. However, his work beyond the national team ensured the legacy of his early appointment remains as worthwhile as qualifying for the finals in France.

Leekens placed a great emphasis on coaching the foremost young trainers at home. He would organise seminars and coaching sessions that focused on technical development and increasing the speed of play. How quickly could a team counter? At what pace? These were the questions he asked himself and those who were tasked with coaching the next generation of Belgium’s footballers. He noted that a successful counter should be played at six metres per second.

It was one of his most enduring legacies that’s evident across world football today. Real Madrid and Manchester City are as adept at countering as anyone. Frequently they travel at seven or eight metres per second. It harks back to the coaching methods that Leekens demanded from academy coaches across the nation. This, of course, isn’t to say Leekens pioneered counter attacking football, it had been around for generations, but he brought it to the forefront of Belgian coaching.

A look across the national team today and the evidence of speed of play coaching is clear. Hazard’s prominent strength is travelling with the ball at speed. Benteke enjoys turning and shooting early. Mertens, De Bruyne, Mirallas are much the same. Witsel plays early; he’s no ball dweller. You can continue, Chadli keeps it moving as does Fellaini. Dembele travels at speed.

Although not all the players received their education in Belgium, the rate of their development while playing for schoolboy national teams did much to innovative their style of play. Even the defenders are adept at travelling at speed. Vertonghen and Alderweireld enjoy attacking open spaces – they want to instigate quick attacks.

Aside from the coaching philosophies implemented at youth level, there has also been a conscious effort to invest in facilities. Standard Liege spent €18 million on their academy, more than many of Europe’s elite sides. But this outlay was recovered on just one graduate of the production line – Fellaini – when Everton paid a Belgian record €20 mllion in 2008.

And the new coaching infrastructure was well and truly in the black when talented midfielder Axel Witsel was snapped up by Benfica for almost €9 million. Witsel has since moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg for €38 million – testament to the quality of player coming through the ranks since the investment.

Genk also invested heavily in their academy, spending close to €3 million on improving pitches, indoor training facilities and the scouting network. It may seem a petty figure but it represents a huge outlay for a club of Genk’s size. This figure was recouped almost instantly following the sale of Thibaut Courtois to Chelsea. Since that investment, the club has also signed a development agreement with Liverpool.

Their coach exchange shares ideas and philosophies while players from both clubs are given the chance to train alongside their foreign counterparts. Long term, Genk will develop players for their own benefit as well as the national team. Courtois is now firmly the number one keeper for the national team; no mean feat considering Simon Mignolet’s talent.

Anderlecht and Club Brugge have also invested heavily and are reaping the rewards of a modern coaching philosophy at youth level with the emergence of Dennis Praet, Youri Tielemans and formerly Romelu Lukaku. His €15 million move to Chelsea represented the first major sale of the new academy era at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. Tielemans, perhaps the nation’s finest talent from the ’97 age group, is destined for a big-money move elsewhere over the next couple of years.

Many will argue that the sale of the country’s best young players hinders the growth of the national game. While in some regards this is true, reality will always outgun potential. The footballing and financial lure of the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga will attract players from most nations.

Belgium is still not at the stage where they can produce players for their own league. Not even Brazil is there yet. The emphasis should be placed on players being developed effectively for the national team then sold for a large profit.

Consequently clubs can invest in youth facilities and more expensive imports for the first team. It’s a gradual process but if five or six clubs in Belgium can produce a consistent batch of talented youngsters, not only will the national team benefit from a greater talent pool, they will recoup any investment they make in the academy. Only then can a league grow and attract top players as monetary power is prevalent.

Longer term the league can grow and retain its best youngsters, but only after a sustained period of selling and generating funds that help attract players from abroad. Brazil, alongside its national economic growth, is beginning to experience this today. The league is able to retain some of its better players. The lure of moving abroad, once facilitated by the desire to earn more, is now as much about experiencing a different lifestyle as earning the big bucks.

Major League Soccer would do well to follow the Belgian model. Produce players for the national team, sell, reinvest and recoup once again.

The potential for growth and continued evolution across the Belgian game is colossal. Academies that followed the early van Himst and Leekens model and invested in youth development are now reaping the rewards with the graduation of numerous players to the first team.

The next stage of development will require further investment as Belgian academies begin looking to attract youngsters from abroad early in their career. Scouting and bases in lands outside the Kingdom will come at some cost, but much like the infrastructure outlay, the potential to regenerate and recover this cost is evident.

The national team is blessed with an abundance talent. The way things are going, perhaps the Jupiler Pro League will be next.

About the author – Omar Saleen

Based in London, Omar is the editor-in-chief at These Football Times. A professional coach by day having worked at clubs including Fulham, QPR and Red Bull New York, he also writes freelance for a number of outlets.

twitter: @omar_saleem

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