Up the Principality: Managing Liechtenstein (FM 16)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Last summer, I started a fun Football Manager career which came to a premature end when the file was somehow corrupted. I blamed FM 15 for the problem, but that turned out to be an unfair charge.

Anyway, the experience of managing a national team turned out to be fun, and I'm going to give it another try with Football Manager 16. Once again, I'm returning to one of Europe's smallest nations, Liechtenstein.

My eighth grade geography teacher deserves some of the credit for inspiring this career. I've been somewhat fascinated by the Principality of Liechtenstein since my teacher assigned each of us a report on a European country and, by the luck of the draw, I ended up with Liechtenstein.

The story will last as long as my career as Liechtenstein manager. If the Liechtenstein FA sack me, then the tale will end. I've loaded the Swiss and English leagues, so the possibility exists that I might be offered a job with a club in one of those countries. If that happens, I might consider it. We'll see.

Last time around, some of you expressed your interest in the story. Hopefully you'll once again find it fun to read about the attempts of a tiny nation to battle for international football relevance, and my attempts to help that happen.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

10 June 2015

As my career begins, Liechtenstein are competing in Group G of the European Championshp Qualifying Round. The FA don't expect me to make it out of the group stage. That's a good thing, because our chances of advancing aren't looking good.



Here's the schedule for the rest of the summer and autumn, as it now stands.



I'll stick with the "default" national team selections for the qualifier against Moldova and the friendly with Croatia. I haven't really had time to analyze the squad too much yet, and seeing the lads in action will help me make better decisions in the months to come.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here's the 23-man squad who will represent Liechtenstein in the first matches of my tenure as national team manager.

The star ratings represent the evaluation of my assistant, Jurg Wenaweser. His ratings are only so-so; take his judgement with a grain of salt.

Several of these players are versatile footballers who can play several positions, and I'll profile them with the position group I think they'll feature with the most.

Goalkeepers


Peter Jehle (112 caps) Veteran Peter is a national hero, and he has no rival for the number one shirt right now.
Benji Büchel (9 caps) Benji plays his club football in England, and is a decent reserve.
Cengiz Biçer (10 caps) Born in Switzerland and with a Turkish second nationality, Cengiz gives us a third 'keeper with international experience.


Defenders


Yves Oehri (48 caps) Yves is a fixture at right back. He's in his prime, and will lead our defense. He's a star in the Swiss second division.
Pascal Foser (uncapped) Pascal turns out for Balzers, a Liechtensteiner club in the third tier of Swiss football. A solid, unspectacular center half.
Dario Kaiser (uncapped) Our staff likes Dario's potential. Capped six times at youth level, he'll start at center back.
Andreas Malin (uncapped) Pacey Andreas will make his full international debut at left back, after making 9 appearances for the U21s.
Ueli Sturzenegger (uncapped) Ueli will back up Malin on the left side, and can fill in at center back in a pinch.
Lucas Eberle (12 caps) Strictly a reserve now, Lucas might be making his last national squad.

Two very good defenders, Franz Burgmeier and Daniel Kaufmann, are unavailable for selection right now because of injury. Both Franz and Daniel play for Vaduz; both have sprained ankles; both should be ready when we face Austria and Montenegro in September.


Midfielders


Sandro Wieser (28 caps) Sandro is a complete midfielder, a star for club and country. Only 22, I'm hoping to manage him for another decade or more.
Marcel Büchel (uncapped) It's hard to understand how Marcel hasn't made his Liechtenstein debut yet. He'll team with Wieser in the middle of the park. Marcel is Juventus property, although he's made a career of going on loan to other Italian clubs.
Michele Polverino (50 caps/5 goals) Michele plays in the Austrian first division, after several fine seasons with Vaduz. He will be a regular at DM in my 4-1-2-2-1 formation.
Nicolas Hasler (36 caps/1 goal) Nicolas is the son of the late Rainer Hasler, who in 2003 was named Liechtenstein's Golden Player, the best footballer of the last half-century. Nicolas can play well as a central mid or on the left side.
Martin Büchel (49 caps/2 goals) I can use Martin as a reserve central midfielder, or on the right wing if I play 4-4-2. He has pace and a nice first touch.
Vinzenz Flatz (3 caps) Vincenz can fill in decently anywhere up the spine of the formation. He's young, and might have a future.
Andreas Christen (21 caps) A big lad, Andreas will spell Polverino at DM, or give us more of a physical presence on the back line.
Christoff Duelli (uncapped) I like Christoff's versatility; I'll keep him around to provide cover all along the defensive line and in the central midfield. He has 8 youth caps to his credit.


Attackers
Here I'll feature attacking wide players, who figure prominently in my 4-1-2-2-1, along with pure strikers.


Niklas Kleber (5 caps) Niklas is the star of his club team, and I'll count on him to lead the line for us. He's got a goalscorer's touch and finishing ability.
Simon Kühne (9 caps) A productive scorer for the U21s, Simon will man the right wing, and can also play up top.
William Pizzi (uncapped) Pocket-sized winger William is the first choice at left wing. At age 20, his best years should be ahead of him, too.
Philippe Erne (24 caps/1 goal) If I use two strikers, Philippe will get some playing time. He is best as a deep-lying forward, as he's never been a scorer for any club he's played for.
Daniel Brändle (12 caps) A right winger, Daniel will have to step up his game if he'd like to remain an international.
Mario Frick (121 caps/16 goals) Mario is a Liechtenstein legend. He made his international debut in 1994, before some of his teammates were born. Now player-manager at Balzers, he is a shadow of the footballer he once was, but his intangibles will keep him in the national team as long as he chooses to be here. I can't imagine the uproar that would ensue if I dared to deny Mario a spot on the roster.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

13 June 2015
Liechtenstein v. Moldova
European Championships, Qualifying Group G

Liechtenstein's national stadium is the Rheinpark Stadion, located in the capital city, Vaduz. Its capacity is 7,838, and it is also the home grounds for FC Vaduz.



This is a view of the south stands, with the Alps in the background.

Moldova are second bottom in our group, so this is probably our best opportunity to snatch three points. We enter the match with a world ranking of 169, while Moldova are 124th.

It was a chilly (5° Celsius) evening, but just over 6,000 fans came out to the pretty little stadium for the match. Here's the starting eleven I chose:



I've chosen Michele Polverino to wear the captain's armband. Injured Franz Burgmeier, who is FC Vaduz's skipper, will be the alternate. Those choices were extremely popular with the players. Score one for the new boss.

The playing of the Liechtenstein anthem, Oben am jungen Rhein, turned out to be one of the major highlights of the match. The melody is the same as God Save the Queen, and it was difficult not to sing those words when the anthem was playing. (My manager character is English/Liechtensteiner.)

Moldova scored in the second minute, a pretty strike from Andrei Leagu that sneaked past Peter Jehle at his right post. We took that score into the halftime break; we weren't threatening the Moldovan goal. and their only good chance was tipped over the bar by a leaping Jehle.

The match changed on 51 minutes, when Jehle left the match with an injured Achilles tendon. I replaced him with Cengiz Biçer, largely because Cengiz's morale was Superb. I wish his goalkeeping would have been half that good. Within fifteen minutes, Moldova scored three times.

It wasn't all Cengiz' fault. We were forced to play without our two best defenders tonight, and one of the regulars who was on the pitch--right back Yves Oehri--had a dreadful game (5.5 rating, before I took him off after the third goal). And Cengiz did manage to save one of the four shots he faced.

We managed only two shots, to Moldova's 15. Simply put, it wasn't the start I was looking for.

And, to make matters worse, Peter Jehle will miss Tuesday's friendly with Croatia.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Liechtenstein v. Croatia
Friendly

Croatia are a powerhouse, ranked 16th in the world. Their star-studded squad features players such as midfielders Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Ivan Raticic (Barcelona) and Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic. Before the match, I told the players to relax and enjoy themselves, and they responded positively to that message.



I made five changes to my lineup for tonight. Benji Büchel went between the posts in Peter Jehle's place. Several of the other lads weren't quite fit enough to play on two days' rest, and I wanted to take a look at a few other players anyway.

Lorenzo Lo Russo, age 22, was brought into the squad to replace Jehle. He's been capped 8 times at U21, and he plays for FC Linth 04 in the fifth tier of the Swiss system. No knock on Lorenzo, but I hope there comes a time when I won't need to call up an amateur player from the fifth tier of Swiss football under any circumstances.

We lost 3-0, but we played much better football against a much stronger opponent. Mandzukic had a brace, and Fiorentina man Ante Rebic scored. Rebic repeatedly turned poor Yves Oehri inside out until I mercifully subbed Yves out at the hour mark.

All things considered, the players acquitted themselves well. They were in good spirits after the match; they had no illusions of toppling the Croats. Michele Polverino played well, passing accurately and pursuing the task of controlling Luka Modric with resolve. I was also impressed with Nicolas Hasler, who remained composed in the central midfield.

The players return to their clubs now, and I'll see them again in September.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

20 July 2015

I got some exciting news today. Diego Ciccone has now lived in Liechtenstein for five years, so he's now eligible to play for the Blues-Reds.

Diego is Swiss by birth, and he signed for FC Vaduz in 2010. He's a central midfielder, which happens to be the position where we're strongest, but he's too good a player to let pass by. He's a lot like Sandro Wieser, with a little more pace and vision and a little less of Sandro's mental strength.

Speaking of Sandro, I went to see him play for his Swiss club, FC Thun, in a EURO Cup qualifying match in Ireland. He drew a straight red card for a vicious tackle on 10 minutes, so I got to watch him pull off his captain's armband and trudge off the pitch. Good thing Ireland is a nice place to visit.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

4 September 2015

The Liechtenstein squad have assembled in Vienna, where we will face Austria at Ernst-Happel-Stadion this evening.

I've made a number of changes in the squad for this week's games. Here's hte team I've chosen, with the new men highlighted in blue.

Goalkeepers: Cengiz Biçer, Benji Büchel, Peter Jehle.
Defenders: Franz Burgmeier, Lucas Eberle, Pascal Foser, Dario Kaiser, Daniel Kaufmann, Seyhan Yildiz, Roman Spirig.
Midfielders: Martin Büchel, Andreas Christen, Diego Ciccone, Christoff Duelli, Nicolas Hasler, Philipp Ospelt, Michele Polverino, Marco Perez Sancho, Sandro Wieler.
Attackers: Philippe Erne, Marco Frick, Niklas Kleber, Simon Kühne.

Some of the changes are the result of injury or illness. Marcel Büchel is the biggest loss; he's suffering from a virus that will keep him out of training for about a week. Yves Oehri, William Pizzi, Daniel Brändle, and Vinzenz Flatz are also unavailable.

On the other hand, it's good to see Burgmeier and Kaufmann with us.

Franz (93 caps/9 goals) brings a wide array of skills to the team, and he can play anywhere along the left side of the pitch. I'm probably going to use him as a marauding fullback. Daniel (30 caps/1 goal) immediately solidifies our central defense.

Ueli Sturzenegger has been in poor form for his club, so I dropped him and brought in Spirig, a precocious lad of 17 who's already a regular left back for Vaduz. If I use him in the back, Burgmeier can move higher up the pitch.

Yildiz (15 caps) returns to the team to replace the injured Oehri. The Balzers man is much the same kind of player as the man whose spot he takes, except that he can also play center back.

I'm tempted to give Ciccone (uncapped) a try at center back, too. He has the attributes of a fine ball-playing defender.

Ospelt (1 cap) is an offensive-minded player who will provide cover in the central midfield. Perez Sancho (2 caps/1 goal), a 37-year-old veteran, can play all along the midfield line, and he's technically adept and surprisingly athletic for an older player.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Reprise, Part One

Not long after I made my last post here, I decided to change the way I'm telling the Liechtenstein story. It's going to be a long, long, hard, hard road to respectability in world football for the doughty lads from the Principality...if they ever get there. Reporting on each match is going to be an exercise in humility in the extreme, as the Blues-Reds are likely to be trounced every time they face a team of any real ability. Therefore, I'm going to report once each year.

That, of course, is contingent upon me keeping the Liechtenstein job. I could make myself unsackable, and I've thought about doing it, but for now I'll play it completely straight.

I'd progressed as far as early winter, when I realized something. There were almost no real young players in the national team pool! The youth teams had four or five full-fledged footballers, and the rest were grey players whom I couldn't "activate" (you can only make them come to life if you're their club team manager).

There are seven teams in Liechtenstein, all of which play in the Swiss leagues. All but FC Vaduz ply their trade well down the Swiss pyramid, and they aren't playable in the out-of-the-box version of the game. So, when I went to their team rosters in search of players I could add to the national pool...I found whole squads made up of grey dudes!

I decided to try something different. I downloaded an edited database that extends Swiss football down to the fifth tier of their national system. That made at least two or three more Liechtensteiner teams playable, and that meant their players were now "real." They aren't great players, but then again, almost nobody in Liechtenstein is.

So, I've decided to restart the story. Through the first few weeks, nothing much has changed. Liechtenstein lose, Diego Ciccone declares for the national team, and the injured defenders--Franz Burgmeier and Daniel Kaufmann--return to fitness and give us a decent-looking back four.

I'll be back after the 2016/17 campaign is over.

[korme]

Looking forward to it!!