FM21 Tactic: Il Sistema
As previously discussed in my introduction blog to my FM21 save, I will be looking to successfully implement ‘Il Sistema’, a tactical inspiration from reading Erbstein: The triumph and tragedy of football’s forgotten pioneers by Dominic Bliss.
Erbstein’s tactic drew innovation from Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal, fusing the central European short passing game with Italian guile and the solidarity of the English W-M shape. Using this system the famous Grande Torino secured five Scudetto across the span of the 1940s and managed to tally up an impressive 93 games unbeaten at home.
In order to implement the system firstly, I will need to do my research on the individuals who played under Erbstein. This will enable me to assign the correct player roles on FM21, I will use this research as a foundation before looking into key attributes which will become key pillars within OGC Nice when scouting individuals for recruitment.
Il Grande Torino
The all-conquering heroes of post-war Italian football -Il Grande Torino- were developed from a blueprint drawn up in part by a fugitive Jewish technical director travelling between tow nations that were allied with Nazi Germany!
The Goalkeeper
Valerio Bacigalupo
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Bacigalupo was a modern and world-class goalkeeper, who revolutionised his position in Italy. A precocious talent, he was known for his strong physique, reactions and excellent positional sense, as well as his athletic diving saves. In addition to being an outstanding shot-stopper, he was also a dominant goalkeeper, known for his ability to come off his line to collect crosses.
The Defence
Virgilio Maroso
A promising and highly talented player, Maroso was a precocious full-back, who is considered to be one of the best Italian players ever in his position. A fast, powerful, elegant, and technically gifted offensive-minded left-back, who was known for his flair and touch on the ball, Maroso was one of the first-ever attacking full-backs in football, and was even capable of playing as a winger due to his ability to get up the flank; although he stood out for his attacking prowess, he was also strong defensively, courtesy of his foot-work and anticipation, and was capable of playing with either foot.
Mario Rigamonti
Arguably the first in Italy’s long and illustrious line of man-marking stopper centre-halves; a towering presence. Mario was physically strong, consistent and a tenacious player, who was known for his skill and acrobatic ability in the air, as well as his fighting spirit and competitive style of play.
Aldo Ballarin
An understated right-back, but a committed player with a strong character. An influential voice in the dressing room. Collecting the ball from the deeper-lying players and moving it on to the frontmen. In many ways, he was the connecting agent between the W and the M in the sistema.
The Midfield
Erbstein looked to make his wing-halves the hub of his team, asking them to create and destroy in equal measure — closing down their opponent to win the ball and then look to launch swift counter-raids at the other end.
Eusebio Castagliano
played a two-fold role, Eusebio defended doggedly, chasing down opponents and using his significant physical presence to win the ball back before turning and driving at the open spaces left by his dispossessed victim.
Giuseppe Grezar
Grezar was the deepest-lying of the four central cogs and shouldered the bulk of the defensive midfield work. He was known for his ferocious tackling which often would stop opposition prior to them encountering the Torino backline.
Ezio Loik
Loik immediately became the team’s athletic engine, able to draw on apparently inexhaustible wells of energy and transform defence into attack with galloping runs through the centre of the pitch.
Valentino Mazzola
Captain and talisman of the Grande Torino, Mazzola was the team’s virtuoso performer and its conductor at the same time. The midfielder was a quick, strong and energetic, with excellent technical qualities and dribbling skills. The Italian possessed exceptional positional sense, vision, creativity, and was capable of playing with both feet.
The Forwards
Franco Ossola
A slight, yet devastatingly quick left-winger, with an elegant style, who put the fear of God into opposition full-backs.
Romeo Menti
One of the most technically gifted members of the squad, he could play on either wing and loved running at defenders.
Guglielmo Gabetto
Guglielmo can be regarded as one of the best Italian players of his generation, and one of Italy’s greatest ever strikers, Gabetto was a complete, creative, fast, and a technically gifted forward. Nicknamed il barone (“the baron,” in Italian), he usually played as a centre-forward and possessed “acrobatic” characteristics that apparently allowed him to produce “near-impossible” goals. The precision and the power of his kicking made him an impeccable and highly prolific goal-scorer.
Attributes
Erbstein was obsessed with technique, intelligence and movement in his players. These will be the fundamentals in terms of player recruitment, an absolute must.
Football Manager 21
Taking the above player styles into consideration, I have now designed Il Sistema using FM21. This will be the initial set-up of Erbsteins tactic which I will look to integrate into my save with OGC Nice.
Now obviously personnel is a key factor which will need to be addressed if I am to make this tactic work throughout the duration of my save. Initially, on starting the save on November 24th it will be a case of round pegs in square holes as the current squad under Patrick Vieira often play a 343 formation.
Therefore recruitment will need to be geared towards securing certain individuals that fit the mould of both the role and the underlying DNA of the club.
Please note that this is by no means the finished article, this post has helped me to establish a starting point for the tactic as I look to develop it throughout my save.
I hope you all have enjoyed the read, I would massively appreciate RTs on the blog and feel free to drop me a comment or DM in relation to your thoughts and ideas.
Magnus.
