FC Twente Team Guide for FM20

FM20 TEAM GUIDE - FC TWENTE

Led by former England manager Shteve McClaren, they turned their own ground into a fortress winning 16 of 17 home games to deny a Luis Suarez inspired Ajax by a single point.

Upon winning it McClaren immediately left, with his reputation enhanced and regular accent mostly regained. Ajax got their revenge the next season denying Twente in their attempt to retain the title. In 2012 McClaren returned for a second stint but failed to convince. Eventually a continuation of their financial issues led to points deductions and Twente descended further until relegation was confirmed in 2017/18 with a bottom placed finish.

Following promotion the club are back in the big time but have it all to do to get back to the very top.

AIMS

First season board expectations - Avoid relegation
First season media prediction - 14th

CHALLENGE - WIN THE 2ND TITLE IN THE CLUB'S HISTORY

PERSONNEL

Assistant manager - Dennis Van Der Ree
Club Captain - Wout Brama
Vice Captain - Peet Bijen
Key Player - Oriol Busquets
Hot Prospect - Danilio Ruperti
Classic Player/Legend - Blaise N'Kufo
Initial areas to strengthen - GK, AMC and ST

FINANCES

Balance - £22.1M
Transfer Budget - £3M
Wage budget  -  £54k a week

MAIN RIVALS

Heracles Almelo, FC Groningen

STADIUM

De Grolsche Veste
30014 capacity

THE SQUAD

GOALKEEPER
First choice Drommel is a good young Keeper with a solid all-round game but backup Brondeel is pretty poor. A reserve Goalie is rarely a priority but an injury to Drommel could be the difference between staying up and going down. Best to upgrade.

RIGHT BACK
The on loan Troupee is another promising young player though you won't see the absolute best of him during the loan. The veteran Verhaegh is a new signing and his physical attributes reflect his age. Again, an decent 1st choice but mediocre reserve.

CENTRE BACK
Vice Captain Bijen is a key player but lacking technically and not to be trusted bringing the ball out from the back. Former Arsenal man Pleguezuelo has good potential whilst Schenk of a similarly ok quality. Latibeaudiere isn't ready for 1st team action yet.

LEFT BACK
Another couple of loanees here and Verdonk and Matos are both at a decent level but no more, there's probably no need for drastic action though until they return to their clubs.

RIGHT MIDFIELD
Spaniard Cantalapiedra is one of the best players in the squad, he can play either flank and will develop further. Menig can get in good positions but makes poor decisions on the ball, he's unlikely to progress so should be sold when possible.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Espinosa is the best player at the club and technically excellent, he can play deep or in a more advanced role. Barca loanee Busquets is another DLP and key player, getting the best out of these 2 will likely determine how successful your 1st season is. DM Brama is captain but lacking in stamina, if you want to play a high intensity game he may struggle. Loanee Aburjania is a good versatile squad player. Selahi is very average but Roemeratoe can improve to be a very useful asset. Overall this is the strongest area of the squad.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD
Haris Vuckic will be a name familiar to many Newcastle fans, he has good technical attributes but looks like he can't really be bothered with this whole football thing. His low mental attributes will put pressure on team-mates out of possession and you can't afford to carry players at the moment. He's one to consider selling if wanting to improve the budget as Espinosa can play here also. Espinosa may be better from deep but you have good options there already.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Just a couple of young players on loan here, Lang and Zekhnini are both of a similar level and profile but like many of your loanees they'll develop well just in time to say bye. Like much of the squad they'll do for now but aren't good enough for where you want to be.

STRIKER
Berggreen is a strong TM to bring others into play but don't rely on him to get the goals. He's your only striker too so time to go shopping. The priority area.

NOTABLE PLAYERS OUT ON LOAN

There aren't any.

STAFF AND TRAINING

The coaches all pretty poor. The GK coach is a former player and club legend but has GK coaching attributes of just 9 whilst the Head of Youth Development is an excellent GK coach but a poor judge of talent. It's a mess. The only positive is that attracting better coaches is easier than expected. There are no Data Analysts or Sports Scientists in place. Do the usual newly promoted thing of focusing on set-pieces and creating routines as you'll often be underdogs and there are aerial threats in the squad. As a club with plenty of new arrivals, improving cohesion is a priority but there are also massive changes required. Finding the right balance is key.

THE VERDICT

This is a big rebuild job. You are short on quality in many areas and when the large amount of loanees return to their clubs you'll have a very thin squad. Survival in the 1st season is clearly a must but much will depend on your signings for the 2nd season. You're unlikely to have the financial firepower of the big boys anytime soon, you'll have to make the little details decisive to improve the club as a whole.