Napoli Go British!

In a press conference today, at the Stadio San Paolo, S.S.C. Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis unveiled Englishman Dan Chance as the man he has chosen to lead the Naples based side forward after the dismissal of Rafael Benitez.

34 year old Chance becomes only the second Englishman to take the top job at Napoli, after William Garbutt left in 1935. Chance is rumoured to have signed a one year deal, after Napoli headed off interest from several sides around Europe.

This will be Chance's first job in management, with his previous footballing experience being in youth coaching at several sides including boyhood side Liverpool FC and FC Barcelona in Spain. It is rumoured that Chance's huge potential was noticed by Napoli and Barcelona legend Diego Maradona, who saw the youngster coaching at the Barcelona's famed La Masia academy. It was after watching his management and coaching of the FC Barcelona youngsters that Maradona recommended the young coach to Aurelio De Laurentiis. Who decided the Englishman was the perfect fit to create a new ideology for the club.

Chance and Napoli will begin this new era with the opening game of the season away to Udinese on the 25th August. The club will also compete in this seasons Champions League.

Great start, good luck! Will follow!

Hi to any potential readers. This is my first ever FM story but I've been playing for many years. I decided to do an Italian story as I enjoy the league and have already played as English and German sides on the current game ( I wanted to blog about a new save).

I will be writing a mixture of news updates and the my own personal views (such as this). In the news I will try to give more facts and stats, I will be using screenshots for this. In my personal views I will give my views on the save.

Why Napoli? As I said I wanted to do an Italian save and Napoli seemed the perfect team, they haven't won anything of note bar the Italian cup, since 1990. Even then they have only won the league twice, and the cup four times, so they hardly have a trophy laden history. They do have money but do have players in the squad I would like to change or improve on, and looking at the squad certain areas lack depth. That being said they do have a brilliant players in Higuain and Hamsik and great potential in players such as Jorginho and Insigne.

Any questions, comments, ideas and advice are appreciated and I'll try to respond to people whether it be on here or on my twitter (@DanChance3).

As a side not one of my friends has started a log too, although he is slightly further in than me. We've been going to each others houses so play Football Manager together for years so please check out his blog too! http://www.fmscout.com/q-12754-SS-Lazio--The-Capital-Club.html

Thanks!

No More Mr Nice Guy

http://www.player.rovers.co.uk/javaImages/5c/6b/0,,10303~8678236,00.jpg
The Mr nice guy act that followed Dan Chance into Naples has ended. Striking while the iron is hot Chance barely had time to get his feet under the table before he started re-shuffling his backroom staff.

Several of the old regime have followed manager Rafael Benitez out the door and been replaced as Chance begins the process of moulding Napoli to his new model. Among those dismissed are Benitez's trusted colleague and Goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero who was also at Liverpool with Benitez. His assistant Fabio Pecchia was also dismissed.

Among those brought into the club to by Chance is former Blackburn Rovers Head of Youth Development Phil Cannon, who it is understood Dan knows from his youth coaching days. Cannon has been appointed as Chance's assistant. One of the more notable additions is current Russia Fitness coach Massimo Neri who has also been part of backroom teams at Juventus, Roma, Real Madrid and England.

Brits abroad

Current Napoli manager Dan Chance has previously coached youth sides for Liverpool and Barcelona. But it is his recent appointment as manager of the Naples side that is the focus of this interview. As part of our Brits Abroad series, we find out more about his recent venture onto the continent...
This interview was conducted by former Serie A ex-pat, Sky Sports pundit and Scotland legend Graeme Souness:

Lets get straight into this then, how have you settled in Naples and what do you think you can achieve this season?
I've settled in fantastically, the people from the city and club have been nothing but welcoming. This season I intend to implement my own style and philosophy into the club and I expect to have a small transitional period at the beginning. However after this period passes I expect the club to push on and gain Champions League qualification as a minimum.

You have already brought in your own backroom staff, wasting no time in doing so, why did you act so quickly?
I arrived and spoke to all the staff and told them my expectations before evaluating them all. I found certain standards I had set could not be attained with the current staff and decided to bring in my own staff.

You've spoken about a philosophy and a intention to implement a style, an you expand on this and was your style influenced by your previous clubs?
Of course it has been. I'd be a poor manager if I failed to learn anything at these two great clubs. I encourage my teams to play and aggressive high tempo game, with the aim to keep possession with short passes, trying to drag opponents out of position and exploit the space they leave. I like to pressure opponents trying to win the ball back high up the pitch. The formation I play is a 4-5-1 with a flat back four, holding, central and attacking midfielder and two attacking wingers, with a lone front man. The aim here is for my player to attack aggressively making the pitch as wide as possible stretching the opponents. My ideology is to sign technically gifted footballers, who have a big physical presence, with the majority of the team over six foot and all bursting with pace and power. I like to bring in young players full of energy and develop them into my image of the perfect player for that position.

You join at a time when many of your players are being courted by other clubs, have you made any decisions yet and are you looking to bring anyone in?
I will evaluate all my players and decide who stays and goes, we have some magnificent players at the club such as Higuain and Hamsik, however this is football and ridiculous money can be offered. If I think something is too good to turn down, I will move the player on. Everyone has a price. I will be looking to spend no more than we can afford, so I suppose if I have to sell someone to buy, I will. I have targets in mind, which at this point I do not wish to discuss, however you may see us make some movements in the transfer window soon.

Finally, is there a message you'd like to give to the fans?
Yes, give me time. Football managers seem to have a revolving door these days, give me time, support us and believe in my philosophy and I will create something you can be proud of. I intend to take this team to where I believe they belong, the top.

Well done mate! Glad you're on here and we're both doing Serie A! That's a great and inventive start. I'll be following all the time.

One In One Out As Chance Begins Re-shuffle

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This report has been translated from Italian:

A Major re-shuffle has began at S.S.C Napoli, in what the supporters will see as a major loss, Marek Hamsik has left the club in a £38 million deal for Chelsea FC. Dan Chance today explained his decision "Marek was a magnificent player for the club and we are grateful for what he has done during his time here. I must also stress that he made me feel very welcome during the short time we have known each other. However we received an offer from Chelsea we thought was to good to refuse, so offered Marek the choice of whether to stay or go, he decided the time was right to move. We would like to wish him all the best for the future at Chelsea and would like him to remember that he will always be welcome here."


The day is not all doom and gloom for Napoli fans however as chance unveiled new signing Ivan Rakitic. Rakitic joins for a fee rumoured to be around £18 million from Sevilla and is seen as a direct replacement for Hamsik. Chance unveiled the new signing to the press today, where he gave this statement. "The money from the sale of Marek we feel can be used to build the team and progress and that is what I feel has happened here. Ivan is a talented player and can hopefully slot right into this side."

Although the path which Napoli are currently beginning to venture down with Chance is so far unclear, it must be said, these are exciting times for Napoli fans.

This article is translated from Italian:

Napoli today unveiled their second big money signing of the transfer window with Antonio Candreva leaving Rome based side Lazio for the Naples based club. As mentioned this is Chance's second big signing of the window, after already splashing out a reported £18 million on Ivan Rakitic, it is rumoured that Antonio Candreva cost £21 million. Both these signings have however been offset by the sale of Marek Hamsik to Chelsea for £38 million.

Candreva is a right winger and a full Italian international, he is a direct winger with plenty of pace. During his time at Lazio the supporters particularly took to Canreva, with his dribbling skills often exciting the supporters.

Dan Chance made it clear today is by no mean the end of the action for Napoli this transfer window "I will be looking to continue to strengthen the squad this summer and as long as I have the money to spend we will look to improve. You can always improve no matter how good you are." This appears to be a sign of intent from Chance, so watch this space Napoli fans!

This is going to be the t of my story where I explain some of my choices and hopefully tell the full story. I wanted to try to get all my signings completed before the friendlies got played. This was because I knew quite quickly I would have a lot of money to spend this summer due to the interest in some of my players. Below is my full list of transfers, despite a budget of £32 million I tried to keep my net expenditure to a minimum. I feel I achieved this by spending just over £11 million.


Ill now give a short player by player analysis as to why I signed players. I wont do it for the players I sold, as they were all sold basically because I felt the money was good enough to allow me to improve on them.

I signed Gomis because onlyhad the youthful Zapata as a back-up to Higuain. I wanted someone with experience and as he was free (I've updated all managers and players etc) and fitted my philosophy, over 6ft, strong and with good fitness and a low wage I felt I had to sign him.

An experienced CB who was possibly one of the best defenders in the world this season. he was going for a bargain fee. I wanted a youthful side and I felt his experience and leadership at the back will be the base upon which to build a strong defense.

A young RB who can also play at CB, I wanted this guy because he is Italian and cheap. Also due to him being able to play CB his defensive stat are impressive again helping to create a strong defensive unit. Also due to his solidity I can unleash Candreva more on the right hand side.

An error on my part, forgot to change staff preferences and then stupdily didn't concentrate when my Director of Football signed him. Wont make that mistake again. However does have reasonable potential so will let him grow and give him a chance. But for now will be loaned out.

Technically gifted and again has that height I look for. I feel he will directly replace Hamsik and can link Higuain to my midfield. A top player who I know will develop into a top class player. For that price, in the long run, he could be a bargain.

Young tall CB, has the technical stats that I believe could turn him into a top defender, and again has the necessary physical stats. With his left foot and Godin's right he provides a natural balance to the center of defence. He can also play LB if needed.

Another Italian international for the squad. Technically gifted winger who hope if given the freedom will unlock defences. It's a big fee for him but I have seen him develop this game into a real match winner, as with Rakitic I feel the fee could be good in the long term.

Admired him on this game for a while. great technical and physical stats and at his age the fee is a bargain. LB is often a difficult position to solve and I feel if I give him time to develop he could be a long term solution.

A powerful midfielder who is very fit and energetic, hoping that will allow him to be a box to box player for us with his technical ability allowing him to join in attacks and his physicality allowing him to retain possession for the side.

I wasn't convinced by Rafael and for this fee I felt I just couldn't turn him down. In my eyes he's the successor to Buffon. A top class keeper who I feel can be a difference maker in big matches.

For a loan player on the bench for 50% of his wages I couldn't resist, a full international who adds pace to the side and good depth to the squad. I have an agreed price of £5 million, I'm going to let him play a bit and decide whether or not to act upon it.

With all these additions I think we may have a rough start, something I was expecting anyway with all the tactical changes and staff changes, I'm going to allow for this and be patient. Hopefully if pre season goes well then we can hit the ground running in the league.


I mentioned in an article some staff changes, below is a screenshot of my new coaching staff.

Thanks to anyone who's been reading, and again, any feedback, general comments, advice or questions is much welcome!

love the "this article is translated from italian" bit in each post. Keep up the good work, man. It's looking like a good start.

This article is translated from Italian:

A strong set of results for Dan Chance during the pre-season matches looks to have set Napoli up for a positive start to the season ahead. With massive backroom changes and player changes, many expected Chance to have a difficult start life in Naples, however the coach appears to have worked hard this summer, with the squad picking up three wins from four friendlies and not losing any of them, only a draw against Jeonbuk in South Korea stopping Chance from collected a 100% pre-season record.

Chance conducted his end of pre-season press conference today at the San Paolo where he had this to say "Of course I'm delighted with this start. But I am a realist, fans must remain grounded, it is key to understand that there is a big difference between pre-season and competitive fixtures. However it can be seen as nothing as a positive that we have had these results." Chance then followed this with his reasoning behind this run of form "We work hard every day, no one from the coaches, to the players to the tea ladies haven't given 100% this summer. It is a collective effort from everyone at this club towards a common goal. We have trained at the highest intensity the player can physically manage, including extra sessions to make sure we all understand the formations and tactics we want to try to encourage, hopefully this effort will show during the season and this work will pay off."

One thing is for certain, there is a positive feeling around the San Paolo, one we have not seen here for some time. Most supporters seem grounded however if results continue in this form, surely they have every right to get excited?

You've built one hell of a team there mate. Knowing you they'll gel as well! Can't wait for you to get the season started!

My opinion on pre-season is that it went very well, however I really do mean what I say in the article, anything can happen, there is a difference between competitive games and friendlies.

The biggest positive I can take from these games is that all my forwards scored goals for the team, this is especially positive from Higuain who I will be relying on for goals, being my lone front man.

I also see a positive in the fact that as pre-season progressed we kept clean sheets, something I'm not expecting a lot of, especially as my team like to attack. However if I'm going to outscore opponents I wont worry to much about conceding, at the end of the day its the points I walk away with I'm worried about. This may become a worry if I start drawing games or losing them to silly goals. I've tried to keep defensively sound players in my back four and with the presence of Jorginho shielding them I'm hoping it will be enough to keep teams out.

I feel that the teams I played were relatively challenging and are around the level of competition I can expect this season. So hopefully these results will continue. Only time will tell.

For my regular season matches I will be updating every 5 matches with write ups for the bigger matches.

S.S.C Napoli have been handed a group of death in the Champions League this season, after being draw in Group A with Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and CSKA Moscow. All of these sides will hold an expectation to escape from the group. Many would judge the easiest game on paper to be CSKA Moscow, however for this match Napoli will have to travel to Russia to play in freezing temperatures.

The Naples side will begin this group with a trip to CSKA Moscow on the 17th Spetember. This will be followed by the visit of Arsenal to face Chance's side at the San Paolo, this match will be played on the 2nd October. The final game of the first round of group games will see Dortmund visit Naples on the 23rd October.

All in all Chances team could have had a much easier draw, however if there is a positive from this daw it is that the freezing cold trip to Russia will be completed firs and the other two first round fixtures are at home, potentially giving Napoli an advantage going into the second round.

My opinion on the group? I don't think I've had this bad a draw for a long time. All the games will be tough but I fancy my chances here. If I can keep key players fit and can get a good run of form going I'm confident of escaping this group, if not qualifying in first. Depending on my form at the time I will be happy to come second. The only thing I'm sure of is I don't want to end up in the Europa league, with my squad I feel I belong in the Champions League competing with the best.

I think my hardest opponent will probably be Arsenal, They're always a good side on FM and their defensive weaknesses in real life aren't quite as easy to exploit on here. Hopefully the experience of Higuain and the pace a creativity of Rakitic, Insigne and Candreva can unlock them and get us through.

Dortmund I have actually managed on FM 14 and I feel I know enough about their side to beat them. Their main threat is without doubt Rues and Lewandowski. However a dark horse for them comes in the form of Aubameyang, who I know can cut in from the right and bag goals. But again I feel I should have enough in this game.

CSKA will be hard due to the fact they play in a freezing cold country, however I don't believe this has such a big effect on FM and the quality of my players will rise above any weather concers, and we can gain 6 points here. I think CSKA will be my easiest game.