02 January 2014

Bundesliga Review [Football Manager 2014]


Over the last few seasons of Football Manager there has been an ever-growing presence of FM users venturing away from the mainstream leagues of the English leagues to more adventurous and interesting leagues such as the Bundesliga.

The German leagues are now complete with very good editor files for name fixes and National teams, which thanks to the FM community are available on the release of every update.  Before you start any new game, be sure to update your game with these files. The lads at [SORTITOUTSI] offer a great step by step how to guide for both PC and MAC platforms and you if you do get it wrong, just pose a question in the forums and they are always answered promptly.

The Bundesliga is a very interesting and entertaining league, which I put down to a number of factors, the first being that any of the top 10 teams are capable of challenging for the title straight off the bat, with little or no improvements really needed. A clever use of players, a keen astute eye for tactics and player management can place you in a position to challenge within a season or two.

Bayern & Dortmund posses quality squads and by all defaults should be clear favourites for the top two positions.  Outside of these two, the rest of the top 10 is really interesting. Leverkusen and Schalke have both very talented squads, and with a good run of results, would really challenge for the title. In many saves I have seen Bayern and Dortmund have bad starts or losing games to lower ranked teams, with a couple of these upsets, can leave the door ajar slightly.

After these teams, this is where the league becomes very interesting in my opinion; Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, Gladbach, Frankfurt, HSV and Hannover have quality sprinkled throughout each of their squads. I even place Werder Bremen in this group, but they do lack the depth to stage a season long challenge for a continental challenge in the first season.

Having a closer look at the teams outside Bayern and Dortmund, who we all know, have World Class quality players, thus your approach will be slightly different. 

Schalke having qualified for Champion Leagues, the squad has plenty of depth and quality across all departments. It is a little shy up front to start with Huntelaar and Szalai. The strongest area for Schalke is defiantly in their defence and midfield, but lack a quality goal keeper.

Leverkusen, I do like the look of Leverkusen, even though I haven’t played a save with them  to date. I watched them play in  CL v Man Utd which prompted me to take a closer look at them in FM. Their squad is very good and I think capable of snatching the title from Bayern and Dortmund. The only signing I would make, would be a young striker capable of 15 games or so to support Kiebling.

Wolfsburg, My favourite German team, they do have the potential to challenge for the title but in the first season. A solid squad with 3-4 very good young prospects in the game to start with. They do lack goal-scoring penetration up front, but have a industries midfield and a solid back four. Wolfsburg also starts with $16M transfer funds to assist in rebuilding the squad.

Stuttgart, Manage this team well and you will almost be challenging for the title in the first season. They have an abundance of talented players with Alexandru Maxim who is absolute quality. The much sort after Timo Werner is one you will need to fend off offers to keep. A strong creative midfield and robust defence, you will have more than enough to see off those below you and turn your attentions to stealing points off Bayern and Dortmund.

Gladbach, Although this season Gladbach have re-elevated themselves back up the Bundesliga IRL, I cannot see them hitting the same heights in FM in the first season, due to lack of depth and quality, but I do see them inside the top 10.  There is a lot of squad building to be done, with Stegen and De Jong you Key players, the support cast needs the work.

Frankfurt,  Reading a team thread in the FM forums, I have managed to start a save with Frankfurt. An exciting challenge, a ton of good young prospects and great squad depth, you will not need to bring any players in. You will lose one of your best players in Rode, who is looking to leave on a Free Transfer at the end of the season, so you can cash in or take a chance and keep him to the end of the season.  This team is more than capable of finishing in the top 4, having already qualified for the Europa League in the current season.

HSV, These guys are a really dogmatic team. Every time I have played them, I am always struggling to get a result. Taking a closer look at the team and personnel, I notice that they do have a really good team in FM terms! Their only down fall and why they will not see the top 4 is due to a lack of quality striker up front. Their midfield is really good, led by Van der Vaart, Badelj, and hot prospect Tolgay Arslan. 

League Predictions

I have listed my predictions below, not really dependant on which team you are managing, but based upon where I see the team's squad versus the table. Hertha, unlike their performance this season in the Bundesliga, a staggering 6th, much due to Adrian Ramos form in front of goals, I have set for relegation.
  

Media Prediction
Frog'sPrediction
FC Bayern
1
FC Bayern
1
Dortmund
2
Dortmund
2
Schalke
3
Stuttgart
3
Leverkusen
4
Leverkusen
4
Wolfsburg
5
Schalke
5
Stuttgart
6
Wolfsburg
6
Hannover
7
Frankfurt
7
HSV
8
HSV
8
Gladbach
9
Gladbach
9
Frankfurt
10
Hannover
10
Werder Bremen
11
Werder Bremen
11
Hoffenhein
12
Hoffenhein
12
Freiburg
13
Freiburg
13
Mainz
14
Mainz
14
Herta BSC
15
Nurnburg
15
Nurnburg
16
Herta BSC
16
Augesburg
17
Augesburg
17
Braunschweig
18
Braunschweig
18

League Prospects

Like all leagues there is a number of commonly know youth prospects and the Bundesliga is a garden bed of riches –


Name
Position
Age
Club
Oliver Schnitzler
GK
17
Leverkusen
Odisseas Vlachodimos
GK
19
Stuttgart
Timo Horn
GK
20
Koln
Bernd Leno
GK
21
Leverkusen
Aykut Ozer
GK
20
Frankfurt
Robin Knoche
DC
21
Wolfsburg
Marc-Oliver Kempf
DC
18
Frankfurt
Jonathan Tah
DC
17
HSV
Marian Sarr
DC
19
Dortmund
Niklus Sule
DC
17
Hoffenhein
Antonio Rudiger
DC
20
Stuttgart
Leon Goretzka
MC
18
Schalke
Julian Brandt
AML
17
Leverkusen
Timo Werner
SC
17
Stuttgart
Maximilliam Meyer
AMC
17
Schalke
Mitchell Weiser
AMR
19
Bayern
Mortiz Leitner
AMC
20
Dortmund
Nils Quaschaner
SC
19
 Liefering


Julian Brandt - Bayern Leverkusen beat off Chelsea to sign the German U19 international from Wolfsburg for an un-disclosed figure.








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