Football Manager 2020 didn't grip me this year. Being remarkably similar to 19, and with having to watch wingers shoot into the side netting from the corner flag repeatedly, I looked for something fresh that would make my purchase of the game worth it and also less infuriating. So for some reason I decided to do the Pentagon Challenge.
I've attempted it before, in my final year of A-Levels (which, well, yeah. Dumb idea) and wanted to have another crack at it. For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, the rules are simple - start unemployed with no qualifications, then win the Champions League on every continent. Past that, you do what you want. No cheating, obviously.
So I kicked off my save in early December 2019 (real life December 2019). I loaded up every league, and every single player available to me in the database, which totalled around 350,000. Which means in the later years of the save it's going to take about 6 months to progress through one day. Unemployed, no qualifications, I applied for every single job there was. I had a few responses, but in the end I took up a job with PSPS Pekanbaru - a team sat 8th in the Indonesian League 2 West Division. You see Indonesia's second division is split into an east and west side, similar to MLS. 4 teams from each division qualify for the next round, which is a 4 team group where you play 3 games. The top 2 from each group advance to a semi final, and then so on. I chose PSPS because their transfer budget was positively enormous - 300k! And with a wage budget of 30k, with players averaging about £500 in wage, I was delighted, thinking about the money I could throw around on players.
The season had already started when I arrived, with the team picking up 6 points from their opening 6 games.
https://preview.redd.it/afoifdj3d1541.png?width=1058&format=png&auto=webp&s=556c1a83806ff07b3c5806f74c86ecf4fe5cbf41
My usual opening objectives when I start a save are hiring and firing staff, but considering the stature of the club and the amount of staff I was actually allowed to have, this was pointless. Transfers too, because while I could make them I couldn't register them for a while. So instead I set about looking at the style of play we could work with, what would be most suitable for the team. Settling on a flat 4-4-2, with a somewhat defensive counter-press, I picked a team of players I thought would be capable of not losing every game. My objective set by the board was just to finish mid-table, but I wanted more. I wanted to push for the first division, or at least boost my rep so I could look for a team with a better chance of qualifying and winning the CL. My hopes weren't exactly high, mind. Still, my first game was about 2 days after I started, against PSGC.
https://preview.redd.it/2tdog9q8d1541.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=0beb8a0ce0c10a496d38fcfc082715f85748b820
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A win was obviously a nice way to start things off. 2 goals from Susilo Irwandoyo secured 3 points, a lovely finish from a tight angle and a crisp shot into the bottom corner having beaten the defender after Saputro's ball over the top. The main concern was Ritonga, the goalkeeper. The PGSC goal came from a poorly hit free kick that Ritonga palmed into the net, which was about the point I figured that if this man was my keeper I was never going to get close to promotion. But with it only being the first game, I'd let it slide, keep him in while I search for someone more capable to sign when I get the chance. 📷
Still, the most important thing was the fact we'd won the game. All that mattered in the end. I'm not here to focus on clean sheets or chances created. I'm here to win some fucking football matches. So we plowed on. For what it's worth, I didn't have fullbacks for the first few games. I had four centre backs playing in the back line which made all the following results that much more remarkable.
https://preview.redd.it/n5o7l95ed1541.png?width=1056&format=png&auto=webp&s=728aa44d872406cc4e2ab464b42c59534115da18
The next few games might be considered a mixed bag. Unbeaten, yes, but only 6 points from 4 games. The 1-0 against Siriwjaya was a particular highlight considering Reni Pujianto scored in the 88th minute with a tap-in from about a yard out. Mostly a shit-house win, having defended valiantly all game and scraping a late winner. That's how I figured we'd end up playing games, defending solidly and trying to sneak a goal on the counter. My forwards, Pujianto and Irwandoyo weren't exactly good finishers (8 and 9/20 respectively) but they had enough pace that they could cause problems on the break. Tactically there wasn't much I could do as this squad are, well, useless, but they can break at pace so that's how we played. The Cup game didn't concern me - I wasn't here for that nonsense, but we won 3-0 anyway. But it acted as a bit of a confidence boost for the next month.
https://preview.redd.it/zv9fnxkwd1541.png?width=1052&format=png&auto=webp&s=aa6666b1dbfe014cdbaeb455cd1fcf0c188735b8
Four wins from 5 saw us shoot up the table, suddenly batting for 4th. The other important thing to note is the clean sheets - a whopping 3 of them. Ritonga actually wasn't awful. Maybe he'd just had an off day in the first match. But we were winning games, keeping clean sheets, and suddenly looking like a real force. I'm not sure how, honestly - I didn't do anything special. I just kept shithousing wins. The only draw of the month should have been a defeat, but Pujianto bagged in the 92nd minute to keep our unbeaten league record going. Of course we lost in the cup to Barito Putra, but again, I wasn't fussed. It was an interesting test against a division one side to see what the gulf in quality was like, but otherwise it didn't bother me. Coming out of the cup was fine, I just wanted promotion.
https://preview.redd.it/sxkzvpfxd1541.png?width=1053&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9d855b3eb6892e6db44270ade78ffa68c1c2633
And promotion was very much on the cards. The unbeaten record came to an end but our form had been so good we finished second in the division. Ritonga had started making saving penalties a habit, which was great, if not for the fact we kept giving away penalties. There were also a heaping of bookings game after game, which meant suspensions game after game. To put it into context, in the first phase of the season we had 1 game where nobody was booked - my first in charge. They were just shit at tackling. Referees also didn't cover themselves in glory, more than once I saw highlights of players making a perfectly acceptable tackle, stood up, and they were sent off. More often than not in my favour, mind.
All that in mind, we finished second, behind Babel United.
https://preview.redd.it/awhc4970e1541.png?width=1620&format=png&auto=webp&s=b45e8905b66aa7f52caa1d1c10d6e77f86644ba5
As I mentioned earlier, finishing second put us into a group with three other teams - Persibat, from our division, and Persis Solo and Sulut United from the East division. We'd play each of these teams once, and the top two would move on into the semi-finals. The end of the first phase of the season also signalled something else - the opening of the registration window for exactly one week. Any signings I'd made could finally be registered. I'd made a few, and you can check them all out below:
https://preview.redd.it/uzg9r617e1541.png?width=1349&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfbcceec7d0fc69f52cab2782b6b701e6dd5c807
https://preview.redd.it/p8onm617e1541.png?width=1348&format=png&auto=webp&s=8612b1fd93383889b7be889858de5cf5750b4eab
https://preview.redd.it/7yv02617e1541.png?width=1348&format=png&auto=webp&s=27c05cf417fdbd8aa1e178de817d05d530e564f0
https://preview.redd.it/k60k2717e1541.png?width=1346&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ade5055d2edd7bba6a16405debfa854cf767e6d
https://preview.redd.it/dtgfg517e1541.png?width=1343&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd33f4a23da9fb8dea80826e6c2687352f11b95b
Nobody particularly special. But I'm limited in Division Two - you can only sign Indonesian players. So there was no method here, I just stuck some bids in for players who had alright attributes. The main one I wanted to focus on, however, was Samsul Pellu.
https://preview.redd.it/6a44f9o9e1541.png?width=1350&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e06043397f456b0876c0d7711e9d0c10b3512d7
I found Pellu searching for players with decent finishing. What with Irwandoyo and Pujianto having pretty crap finishing ability I wanted someone who could put away chances with a bit more ease. His pace and acceleration also helped for how I wanted to play. He was perfect. And at only 24 there was definitely still room for growth. I wasn't going to hang around at this club forever, but knowing there was someone I could maybe grow with here made things more interesting for me. At 5'6" he is also a short king. All in all I wanted him to score all the goals, and that's exactly what he decided to do.
https://preview.redd.it/i5zq5hxbe1541.png?width=1053&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5b5afb7bd60597526eb679f5fa9fba2d42793ab
We comfortably won the group, looking wholly convincing the entire time. More possession, more shots, more goals. Pellu scored in two of the three games, Irwandoyo bagged a couple as well. The new look team was proving to be a bit of a force.
https://preview.redd.it/wywh30pde1541.png?width=807&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e2a9051678547334c923274216fe1bb9d02f74b
Now the reason why I've waited so long to show you the tactics and the team itself is simply because I started writing this after the first season finished. So all these signings were made in that game between phases 1 and 2 of the league. But, as you can see, nothing special. A very basic 4-4-2. But there they are, the lads. As you can see I didn't want to over-complicate the tactics I was using, so stuck with something simple. A bit of a counter-press but the defenders press less so they're not caught out of position, play for set pieces a bit because goalkeepers are actually dumb as all hell and a cautious mentality, so we can try and hit opponents on the break.
We moved into the semi-finals, being drawn against Persis Solo from our own group. The only team we didn't beat. Still I felt confident, over two legs there wasn't any reason we could beat them.
https://preview.redd.it/s6rvbjoee1541.png?width=1863&format=png&auto=webp&s=aac2e53c08c0f653499c33a7b5650872aad500a2
You could honestly say Persis were the better team in the first leg. Syahreza got us off to a good start when a Herdiana cross was cleared as far as him before he rifled it past the keeper. Persis equalised soon after as Ashar waltzed past both centre backs and popped it into Ritonga's bottom left hand corner. Then they tore us apart. Chance after chance. I made some changes in the second half, Abdillah came off for Zulfikar, switched from a mezalla to a ball winner, and brought Pujianto on as well. It settled things, and with 15 minutes to go a free kick from Juhairi in our own half went over the head of everyone and Pullu, from 25 yards, first time, drove it low and hard past the keeper to secure the win. The second leg was a horrendously boring 0-0, with a red card in the 8th minute being the only highlight. This is what got him sent off.
https://preview.redd.it/dlo9rx3he1541.png?width=549&format=png&auto=webp&s=5504c4eb7e22460c9699165a1dfb77e3b35a76cd
Still, we moved on to the final, where we would face Babel United. Our old but not really that old rivals, who beat us to top spot in the first phase of the season. A chance to show them that we were truly the best team in the Indonesian League Two First Phase West Division.
https://preview.redd.it/wq2up71je1541.png?width=1906&format=png&auto=webp&s=94e02904ff3e83002d42e544c1bc6c5690dd5b62
Abdillah started us off after 5 minutes. A cross from Irwandoyo was headed straight to him and he leathered it into the top corner for the opener. Early in the second half a lovely passing move was finished by Pellu from 12 yards. Pellu turned provider for Irwandoyo in the 85th minute, cutting the ball across the box for a tap-in, before Irwandoyo bagged his second 2 minutes later, beating the centre back with a heavy touch and half volleying from 18 yards into the post before it rebounded over the line. Novriansyah headed home a consolation goal swiftly after but our clinical finishing secured the title with ease. We were never expected to win the league, but somehow this group of what I'm assuming are part-time footballers won the title the first time of asking.
https://preview.redd.it/mfp6bf5le1541.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=e71f3fb32977c075ee96515bdea5ccef1f16ab95
So we were on our way. Into the top division of Indonesia, looking at upsetting the odds again and grabbing that Champions League place. I felt confident. The signings I'd made had proved to be of excellent quality. There was no reason in my mind that we couldn't compete for the title. I had visions of finishing the Asian part of the challenge in just 3 seasons. I'd be revered. I could have any job I wanted. Real Madrid, Barcelona. They'd all want a fucking piece of me. Pep would be ringing me for advice, Jurgen asking me about my counter-press. The dream.
Then came the bad news.
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Immediately my second season at PSPS looked pointless. So I was left with a dilemma. Do I stick it out with them, or look somewhere else? My personal reputation hadn't increased enough to look for a higher job, but I didn't want to waste time. There aren't any time constraints, of course, but I wanted to get things done at a fair pace rather than be stuck in Indonesia forever. So the off-season is a time for reflection. And lord knows I've got plenty of time for that because I have a 5 month break until next season starts. I started writing this during that break and have barely moved on a month in it. It's ludicrous how slow it is. But it's a price to pay for being a stubborn idiot and not removing any leagues so I can have every option available at any time.
I'll be updating this as time goes if people want to see it. If not that's cool. But I like reading these kinds of things so if other people want to, let me know and I'll do more. Also feedback pls ok thx have a lovely day xoxo
![[FM'19] The state of UEFA Europa League in 2022 thanks to the World Cup, half the groups have 3 games played, the other half haven't played a single game.](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/vBfvd5zLlOUomgwFGuEQZPzc3aTLjhMTtmMj3_CADt4.jpg "[FM'19] The state of UEFA Europa League in 2022 thanks to the World Cup, half the groups have 3 games played, the other half haven't played a single game.")
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