Well… lets see how this goes…
For some time, I have wanted to do another football series. I could never really find a topic I wanted and was willing to write about on a regular basis over a period of time. And for an even longer time, my football gaming has all been about ‘storyline’. I completed a 30 odd season save in Football Manager 24, and on the last FC game I began a great save with the ‘storyline’ of trying to take charge of all the teams in the Red Bull empire. I did great starting with New York, moved on to Salzburg, but sadly Leipzig never came. So I changed course, going to the project of NEOM in Saudi, before finishing off at Real Madrid and then finally Chelsea. And yes I enjoyed that save, but I began it in June, and so I only had a couple months really to get a save done, so sadly I had to rush it. But THIS TIME its different…
I got FC27 on the day it came out on pre-order, and began my career mode save the same day. And so as I have found from the past, the key to a fun football game save for me personally, is… STORYLINE!
So this time around, I want to treat this save as almost a follow up to my FC26 save; and so as a result I want to avoid teams in America, Austria, Saudi, Spain and England (been there, done that), and so I am left with less, but still some very fun options. And then as is the case each year, there are new authentic stadiums added to the game (something which ticks a big box when I am looking for a team to take over at virtually), and I also want to keep up with the high-pressing, counter attack, fast pace style I used in my FC26 save and bring that into FC27. Now, with all that in mind, for me, there was only one place for this adventure to begin…
There’s so much to admire about Monaco as an amazing place to live (a life of extreme tax-free luxury). But they also have quite the history as a football club too, bringing through various great players from the academy, visionary managers, and a history of somewhat of a disruptor to the very elite of French, and sometimes in European competitions too. With their stadium now officially in the game, it simply had to be the place for me to begin my FC27 adventure. But before we get underway with the gaming, let me address the elephant in the room. And for those of you who have followed by WWE 2K blogs, this is where I play my “creative license” card…
In MY world, AS Monaco are now 100% owned by the House of Grimaldi (the reigning house of the principality of Monaco), and as a result the owner and chairman of the club, is none other than Prince Albert II. As a result of this new change of ownership, the current real-life Monaco number 10 player has been released form the club before my save begins, and I have given the club a £10million ‘financial takeover’ investment, as this was the closest amount available to the value of the player that was released. With the club now under royal rule, I have been brought in to the club to turn Monaco into a largely young side who play fast, ‘rock n roll’ style football that can excite anyone who watches, and then trying to tackle the football behemoths over in the French capital too.
With me finally getting into the job, it was time for me to put together the squad of players. FC27 presented a very different set of transfer parameters compared to previous games; now I have to gauge a player’s willingness to move as well as their club’s willingness to sell, or not. Player’s willingness to join a club is now all on a scale, so players can flatly turn me down. I can even have everything all agreed, and the deal be HIJACKED at the very last moment by another club! So I had all these notes in my pad, and players I would target and look to bring to Monaco, and a lot of them… turned me down… This irritated me initially, but I think it will make the save more fun and challenging too, and it’s more akin to the real world of football transfer madness!
So with all this in mind, as you can imagine, my first transfer window of the save was quite the rollercoaster:
Some of the NEARLY transfers included LIONEL MESSI turning me down to join Liverpool instead, My number one striker choice and Mexico World Cup star Julian Quinones not being interested in coming aboard the luxury yacht, and the same for Monaco-born Olivier Boscagli of Brighton (who I was super keen to bring in, as the idea of an authentic Monaco native in my team really excited me), Former Monaco defender Wilfried Singo said no, Spurs outcast Richarlison ended up returning to Everton instead of becoming my leading number 9, and then I had an idea to bring back former Monaco winger Yannick Carrasco, and as much as his Saudi club Al Shabab were happy to sell, Carrasco himself still wanted his Saudi-level wage packet, and I couldn’t justify a cool 240-330k a week wage that he wanted to make the move. I also had to work-around an early game bug, where players I had brought in on loan couldn’t change their squad number for me, and so to work around that, I had to fork out and sign two young players I had originally brought in on loan. So I was left with very little left of my budget. When it was all said and done, this was the transfer business I completed in a VERY busy summer window:
OUTGOINGS
- CDM – Dennis Zakaria to Fenerbahce: £16.5million
- GK – Phillip Kohn to Trabzonspor: £5.1million
- RB – Jordan Teze to Fenerbahce: £9.8million
- CB: Mohammed Salisu to Al Hilal: £6.8million
- LW: Stanis Idumbo to Stuttgart: 1 year loan
- ST: Mika Biereth to Atalanta: £17.5million
- ST: Folarin Balogun to Manchester United: £19.5million
- LW: Takumi Minamino to Napoli: £2.3million
- CB: Eric Dier to Besiktas: £2.6million
- GK: Lucas Hradecky to RB Leipzig: £0.72million
- ST: Paris Brunner to Inter Milan: 1 year loan
- LW: Edan Diop to Torino: 1 year loan
- (I also have Thilo Kehrer and Lucas Michal already out on loan when I joined the club)
I was generally happy with my outgoing business. The players who I moved on weren’t really in my plans, and I got good money for each. I wanted more for Balogun, but I got close to his upper value on the game, so I accepted. I did move on the players above, with a long list of potential options to replace them. But as I mentioned, recruitment in FC27 career mode is a lot more difficult than in previous games… so this is what I did…
INCOMINGS
- CAM: Louis Page from Leicester City: £1.065million
- ST: Brian Madjo from Aston Villa: 1 year loan -> £5million (due to squad number bug)
- CB: Tylel Tati from Nantes: £10.2million
- LB: Nhoa Sangui from Paris FC: £16,453,750
- CAM: Mattia Liberali from Como FC: 1 year loan
- CB: Seny Koumbassa from Toulouse: £9.7million
- CB: Oumar Solet from Udinese: £14.3million
- GK: Paulo Gazzaniga from Girona: £1.6million
- RW: Ryan McAidoo from Manchester City: 1 year loan -> £8.6million (due to squad number bug)
- RW: William Gomes from FC Porto: £32.7million
As I have mentioned, the transfer system on FC27 is vastly different to previous games, so I was somewhat learning on the job in this transfer window. I had a long list of transfer targets and players I wanted to go for, but found it rather difficult to bring in my top targets. I did get a squad together that I was happy with though in terms of balance and positions etc. And I was largely happy with the number of good younger players I brought in. Louis Page and Brian Madjo I think reflect immense value for money, Oumar Solet is a monster at the back, and a player I have been a regular buyer of in previous football games. And my new number 1 goalkeeper, albeit not my first or even in my top 5 choices when I initially planned this save, I saw his name come up, and he was the one I went for. I like the idea of my elder statesman being my keeper, a spot where I think experience and knowhow is key. And my one ‘big money’ signing, Brazilian winger William Gomes from Porto, was signed later in my window, and was much younger and a far better long term option than others in that position I could have signed. I see the deal as win win, he could do well for me, and be a legend, or I could move him on and SURELY make a profit of some form… perhaps a significant one… we shall see.
With the transfer window done, I had a squad set for the season ahead. I had the numbers and players positionally I wanted, albeit maybe not my first choice list of players. Although it maybe fits the sort of narrative I’d like my Monaco team to be with the younger group of players I now have. And… I have adhered to a set of rules that I had in different forms in my FC26 save, just to make it more of a fun challenge…
I have looked into the real-world squad selection rules for Ligue 1, and I have adapted them slightly and come up with a list of 3 main rules that my Monaco squad MUST adhere too, and this is something I plan on doing at every club I manage in this save, adapting the rules I stick to depending and based on the real-world rules of the country and league that team is in.
My squad selection rules in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco are as follows:
- 4 players MAXIMUM from South America, North America or Asia
- 8 players MINIMUM of French nationality
- 4 players MINIMUM that have been in the AS Monaco academy
And my squad with these rules in mind was left as this:
Goalkeepers: 1. Gazzaniga, 16. Lienard, 49. Stawiecki
Right Backs: 2. Vanderson, 49. I.Toure
Centre Backs: 6. Solet, 13. Mawissa, 72. S.Sane, 25. Koumbassa, 22. Tati
Left Backs: 3. Sangui, 20. Nazinho
Central Midfielders: 8. Camara, 28. Coulibaly, 19. Cabral, 46. Soubeir, 44. Nidombe
Attacking Midfielders: 14. Liberali, 21. Page
Right Wingers: 10. Gomes, 29. McAidoo
Left Wingers: 31. Fati, 7. Detourbet
Strikers: 11. Albine, 9. Madjo, 42. O.Konate
I have lots of aspects that I like my squads to have; mainly around what footed they are. Keepers I want one left footer, strikers and CAMs the same, Right backs and LEFT wingers have to be right footed for me, Left backs and RIGHT wingers are left footers, And I want my left centre backs and right centre backs to be that sides footed, and the opposite for my central midfield pair. So with all that in mind I had a base of the player profiles I wanted, as well as the rules I mentioned before. I have two squad goalkeepers from the Monaco academy, both of whom are French, so the perfect understudies to my undisputed number one keeper, which turned out to be Gazzaniga. Vanderson has been a mainstay of the Monaco team for a few seasons now, and his understudy is another French, AS Monaco academy graduate in Ilane Toure (who I decided was a better option all things considered than any of my right back targets). Oumar Solet will partner Christian Mawissa (who I have decided is to be my club captain, with Vanderson as vice-captain, Gazzaniga, Solet and Camara also forming my ‘leadership group’). Sadibou Sane, having just joined Monaco irl, joins my two young french centre back signings in filling out my options in the middle of my defence. My two left backs and similar ages and ability, so I think I will rotate them throughout the season, until a first choice establishes themselves.
Lamine Camara, who almost joined Chelsea this past summer in the real world, will lead my central midfield (until I get a SIZABLE offer from a top European club), alongside academy graduate Mamadou Coulibaly. Cabral, Soubeir and Nidombe were all players I thought about moving on, but thought a nucleus of younger players would be better for me and my squad longer term. The same sort of thinking came with my two CAMs, both immensely talented young players, and two I am very happy to have on board. McAidoo is a talented back up to my big star William Gomes, and Detourbet is on loan from Manchester City, who too will be a fun back up to my first choice winger on the left, the mecurial Ansu Fati. Fati was one I also wanted to move on in favour of other options, but lack of deals that I could get done or close even, and a lack of interest in taking Fati from me by other clubs, meant that I eventually went with him as my starting left winger almost by default, so lets see how it ends up for us all… and finally I have Brian Madjo as my golden boy for the future, Oumar Konate as another possible future star, and both of them deputising to my leading striker, and real-life Monaco summer signing, Matthis Albine. Naturally I had a few other choices and players I wanted to be my leading forward, but it’s Albine who’s taken that spot after the window is shut, so now it’s all down to him.
So I guess you are all now wanting the actual FOOTBALL to begin, right? Well it’s almost time, and as I look ahead to my upcoming fixtures, there’s only really one opponent I am looking out for, but more on them later. My general expectations for my first season are to quickly establish AS Monaco as the undisputed… 2nd… best team in France, and to at least go very close to winning, if not winning both the Coupe de France, and the PRESTIGOUS UEFA Conference League (a competition I am most pleased to be starting in, as I can blood in some of my younger and more squad players, as well as having a far greater chance of actually lifting the trophy). I hope I can keep up my style of football (high-pressing, ‘rock n roll’, and pure EXCITEMENT), but most importantly, I want to win, and win having FUN!
We began our Ligue 1 season against another of the prime academy systems in French football, away from home, against Le Havre.
A tight game that I had to play a bit of an unbalanced line-up in, as I was still to make my last couple of signings, but a win is a win, and with a clean sheet as well, all happening away from home. I’d say lots of positives, but I would like more quality in an attacking sense, create more chances, and then TAKE THEM!
Next up, we had our first home match, so naturally it was a big deal to me anyway, but given the opposition, the match was an even bigger deal to me, as we faced off with MARSEILLE!
Goodness, I don’t think I could have dreamed of a better result! Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for us, but I would like to think that we are already laying down a marker to the rest of Ligue 1 that we are the ones to beat…
Well… we can look to be the SECONDS to beat I guess… As after a wonderful start to the season, and with our squad now complete, I now faced THE test. And maybe it will be this fixture which really tells me how much and how quickly success will come to me and Monaco.
This is the end of my first blog of my AS Monaco FC27 adventure, but next time around… its the BIG ONE…
Josh.