Andria Challenge: Second Season First Report

A new half a season has passed and the Andria Challege is finally starting to look promising for me - at least following the poor past season when I only managed to get Andria to the 10th position.

For the new season I have created a brand new tactic - went for a 442 diamond tactic playing with wingers and a direct passing style and, thanks to the new signings as well as some luck with the tactic which proved to be great, we find ourselves now on the 2nd place in the Italian Serie C2/C at mid-season, with high hopes for promotion.

Actually, as you have seen above, if it wouldn't had been for Gela and their amazingly great form, Andria would've been far above everybody else and heading to decisively win the league. Hopefully things will remain the same after the break.

Now, player-wise, I must admit that I am quite impressed with Yann Schneider, the French football player I was worried he could disrupt the good harmony in my squad. Not only that he did not, but he also managed a great first half of the season and he's a stone in my midfield and a player I'm extremely satisfied with.

Also, as you can see from the ratings above, 19 years old right winger Sorin Ciobanu and previous season's great player Luigi Di Simone performed quite well. I must admit I also liked how my forwards played this season, especially Eugen Nita, even though their ratings are low.

I have actually noticed that generally strikers are graded the worst in Football Manager 2009 and there are indeed games where they seem to not exist. However, I must admit that with this current tactic, they do appear in the game more often. At least compared to last year. :)

So, half season gone, my Andria Challenge looks pretty well and I must assure we'll win promotion - the club, even though I keep the wage budget in control, is still spending too much and we're starting to lose money. Which means that my budget for next season will be close to zero, so I will also have to sign free players. Hopefully for a better division!