A gamer who scored one of the all-time great Football Manager goals has spoken about his tactical approach inspired by Maurizio Sarri's spell at Napoli.
Paul Golah, a 26-year-old from London, posted in-game footage of the incredible 26-pass team goal on Twitter this week, and it quickly went viral after Football Manager's official account recognised his managerial expertise.
"Might have to stop playing #fm20 now because I have solved the game." he said.
Golah, who is currently the assistant coach at non-league side Tooting Bec FC, dedicates around 10 hours a week to playing Football Manager as he priorities studying for a Masters degree in Sports Performance Analysis.
But despite those rookie numbers, his virtual achievements are still impressive. He recently accepted the virtual job at Manchester United in 2021 after helping Queen Parks Rangers to a top five finish in the Premier League.
So, what are the secrets to his continued success on the game?
The 26-year-old has revealed his set-up, including his in possession, in transition and out of possession shouts in a detailed post.
Golah went into further detail about his tactical approach, citing current Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri as the inspiration behind his methods.
"I just try to break down the things I like in teams I've watched in real life, and then think how that could be implemented in Football Manager," he told SPORTbible.
"My QPR team was very much based on Maurizio Sarri's Napoli side, just with greatly inferior players.
"It was based on playing from the back, with a high tempo, making 3v2's or 4v3's all over the pitch, and then having two quick wide players that run in behind off the ball into spaces created by building up from deep.
"They were also good at making overloads in left side, which is were the idea for the asymmetric version of the tactic came from.
"After that, I think the training schedules are important, lots of repetitive weeks with triple sessions especially based on match practice, teamwork and attacking shape."
The gamer also gave some helpful advice to anyone who is struggling on Football Manager, mentioning how important it is to be consistent in your approach.
"Whatever your idea is, decide on it as early as possible and stick with it, make small game specific tweaks if necessary but nothing too drastic," he says.
"Test out an idea in FM20 touch in the Versus mode to see whether it can work. Training schedules like I mentioned above. But most of all recruitment; be really clear in the characteristics needed for each role and buy accordingly.
"That tactic for example wouldn't work if the CB's and DM didn't have a decent level of technique and composure. Stagger transfer payments to get more out of your budget too.
"But most of all enjoy the process of problem solving and tweaking until you find the solutions you need."
The Football Manager version of Pep Guardiola has spoken, folks.
Topics: Football Manager, FM
Jack Kenmare