Following some early European transfers, here are 3 Elite tier u23 stacks to consider for the new season, with Mid and Lower tier options coming this weekend π
Let me know any new combo's you'll be using β¬οΈ
PSG have signed creative midfielder Vitinha for ~Β£37m.
Following poor midfield signings in the last few seasons, they lack a trusted midfield trio behind their forward line.
Despite playing with just 3, they had six CMs with over 1200 minutes last season.
Vitinha looks to be an excellent solution to this problem. With his deep field passing and comfort on the ball, he provides creativity from outside the 18yard box.
He averaged a 73% dribble success rate and a 55% duel success rate, while completing 90% of his passes...
...with 60% coming in the opponent's half.
With PSG possessing hard-working, defensive-minded midfielders in Verratti, Danilo, Herrera and Wijnaldum, Vitinha could be an excellent compliment.
Having played as an 8 in a 4411, Vitinha could also drop in, next to a 6, in a 4231.
Interestingly, PSG have signed Nuno Mendes and Danilo Pereira in the last two seasons, both from the Portuguese league and both immediately implemented within the starting XI.
This shows a clear trust in the quality of Portuguese league football.
Due to his passing range and creative abilities, I would pair Vitinha with Mbappe and Hakimi.
Their excellent off-the-ball movement and 1-v-1 capabilities may allow Vitinha to penetrate defensive lines with his passing range.
He could also be played with Donnaruma or Mendes.
Dortmund - Schlotterbeck + Adeyemi π‘
Dortmund have executed excellent, and varied, signings within this window, including Nico Schlotterbeck(Β£18m) and Karim Adeyemi(Β£27m).
Schlotterbeck already ranks in the 90th percentile or higher for Shots, Dribbles, ProgP, Tackles and Aerial duels, but now joins the Bundesliga side ranked:
2nd in possession
2nd in passes
2nd in progressive passes
2nd in progressive carries
3rd in final 1/3 passes
What this means is, a possession-dominant, progressive and aggressive centre-back now plays for the 2nd best possession side in the league.
As for Adeyemi, he joins from RB Salzburg as one of the most creative and explosive young forwards in Europe.
While we can't be certain how Dortmund will line up due to significant roster changes, I currently expect them to continue with the 343/3421 style used last season.
This would suit Adeyemi perfectly, as he can slot into the 2 behind target forward Haller, allowing him...
...to create in and around the box, while Haller can occupy defenders to create space to operate.
With Malen disappointing, and Hazard potentially leaving, I would expect Adeyemi to be a key figure this season, offering something different to Reus, Brandt and Reyna.
I would pair them with Jude Bellingham, giving freedom with the extra pick, whilst Bellingham offers a stable AA game, with decent upside often against weak opposition.
Players such as Reyna and Malen could also be stacked, however, I don't expect them to be consistent starters.
Real Madrid - Tchouameni βͺοΈ
Tchouameni will be looking to break into RMs star-studded midfield trio, following his Β£72m move from Monaco.
At Monaco, Tchouameni was a real unicorn amongst u23 players due to his consistent AA without sacrificing a high ceiling.
His scoring consistency was heavily due to his high defensive involvement, dominance in duels and passing range.
Yet, despite averaging a 23.4 AA score, he had more 100pt scores last year than:
- Salah
- Ronaldo
- Benzema
- Vanaken
- Vinicius
- Cesinha
...and so on.
While their depth of options allows RM to try various midfield combinations, they are expected to integrate Tchouameni into the XI immediately, rather than the second-season approach taken with Camavinga.
Using Tchouameni alongside Vinicius and Rodrygo presents possibly the highest upside u23 stack available.
The two Brazilian youngsters may be alike in many ways, but their importance to RM last season could not be more different.
While Vinicius put up 27 G+A in 30 league starts to win LaLiga, Rodrygo could hardly get a run in the side before scoring key goals in the UCL quarter and semi-finals, to lead RM to the UCL title.
This end-of-season form, combined with Mbappe's commitment to PSG, could earn Rodrygo a starting spot in starting spot for RM next season, where he would flourish alongside the world-class duo, Vinicius and Benzema.
Should Camavinga nail a spot in the RM midfield...
...he could be a nice option to pair with Tchouameni, however, this would occupy two midfield spots without a decisive heavy pick.
With midfielders generally scoring so well, filling two slots with AA-heavy mids could cap the team's upside.
Let me know what you think of these combos, I will be putting out a similar analysis for Mid and Lower tier stacks soon, with cards that shouldn't hurt your wallet as much.
β’ β’ β’
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Odgaard recently signed from Sassuolo for Β£3.7m, after a strong 21/22 season on loan at Waalwijk.
When starting last season, Odgaard averaged 53.5pts per game, helped by his 0.51 G+A/90.
While he certainly benefited from being their talisman, Waalwijk finished as the 10th best side, with Odgaard directly involved in 40% of their goals.
While there are a few 4.0m defenders expected to move to starting roles at new teams, Neco Williams at Forest looks to be the best pick.
Neco played 14 games on loan at Fulham in the second half of 21/22, where he scored 2G and 2A in 1200minutes, for a goal involvement every 3.3 games. Forest are expected to play a 3atb system, where Neco would operate as the right wing-back.
The giant clubs of world football are often perceived as too big to fall. They have too much history, financial backing or a big enough fanbase to protect them from prolonged periods of downfall.
Yet just in the last couple of decades, weβve seen clubs including Liverpool, Arsenal, Milan and now Manchester United have periods of prolonged decline.
1. When a card is selling at auction, a losing bidder may buy a listed card instead of competing in the auction.
Due to the incremental bidding system, in this example, they cannot bid below 0.627.
So now you know they are aiming to pay <0.627, so push them close to that price.
2.
When on a manager's gallery page, sorting by highest or lowest price will bring the listed cards to the front.
Helpful when you see a manager is selling cards, or for better visualising your own listed cards.
Why you should buy Super Rare Keepers & Defenders for D3 π§΅
It's a common theory that using SR defenders and, in particular, keepers in D3 is a bad choice, and therefore you should not buy them unless playing D2.
People scramble for cards as it gets close to the GW deadline (particularly weekend deadline). Owners are less willing to sell close to deadline, as they are planning to use the card. Because of this, supply is tight and demand is high, so people are willing to overpay for cards.
Here is Maarten Paes breaking through recent prices 3 weekends in a row via public offers between midday Thursday and early Friday morning - with the weekend deadline coming Friday morning.